New Delhi: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) booked their place in their second consecutive IPL final after defeating Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on Tuesday.RCB captain Rajat Patidar led the charge with an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls as Bengaluru posted 254 for five after being asked to bat first. Patidar hit nine sixes and five fours and completely turned the game around in the final overs after escaping the first two catches he dropped in his innings.RCB scored 114 runs in the last six overs, including 86 runs in the last five, putting Gujarat Titans under huge pressure in the chase.The innings started aggressively as Venkatesh Iyer hit Mohammad Siraj for three boundaries in the very first over. He scored 19 runs before being dismissed by Kagiso Rabada.Virat Kohli then partnered with Devdutt Padikal to keep the scoring rate high. Kohli scored 43 runs while Pedicel added 30 as RCB scored 76 for one in the power play.GT slowed things down for a while in the middle overs. Jason Holder removed Kohli and Pedicle in one over, while Rashid Khan bowled hard.But in the 14th over, the match changed completely. Patidar, who was dropped twice by Prasad Krishna’s GT fielders, made full use of the lifelines. Left-arm fast bowler Kulant Khajrulia conceded 28 runs in the over, which included a misfield, two no-balls and a wide.Patidar attacked both Khajrulia and Rashid Khan in the death overs, while Krunal Pandya contributed 43 runs during the 95-run partnership. Patidar completed his fifty with a six off Rabada and kept on hitting till the last over.Chasing 255, Gujarat Titans needed a strong start but lost wickets early on. Sai Sudharsan was dismissed in unusual fashion when his bat slipped from his hand and hit the stumps while facing Jacob Duffy. Sudharsan scored 14 runs.GT captain Shibman Gill soon fell to just two, bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The veteran fast bowler took two wickets and also topped the Purple Cap standings with 26 wickets.Josh Hazlewood then dismissed Jos Buttler for 29, while Rasukh Salam removed Nishant Sindhu and Holder in the same over as GT slipped to 51 for five inside the Powerplay.Rahul Tyotia fought back with 68 runs but the target was too big. Gujarat Titans were eventually bowled out for 162.The win took RCB to their fifth IPL final after 2009, 2011, 2016 and 2025. Gujarat Titans will now play Qualifier 2 against the winner of the eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad for the remaining spot in the final.
