RCB vs GT

That is that for Dharamsala in this edition,  RCB will now travel to Ahmedabad for the final where they will look to go back-to-back titles while GT move to New Chandigarh where they will await their opponents for Qualifier 2 as SRH and RR fight it out between them tomorrow in the Eliminator. Who will a battered and bruised yet a doubly dangerous GT team face? Pat Cummins' Orange Army or Riyan Parag's Royals? Find out tomorrow with us, for now this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep and the rest of the team. Cheers!

Rajat Patidar is also the Player of the Match along with being the winning captain tonight, this is what he had to say: It was a super game for us. The way everyone dominated, specially the batters, the way everyone was striking was good for us. (attacking the GT bowlers) It was not a clear plan but it is important to have a positive body language, we had a chat in the meeting to have this body language as this is a big stage

I have a similar way of batting, I take my time at the start, 8-10 balls to see what the wicket is doing and then I play accordingly and not worry about losing my wicket. To be honest, the wicket was not easy to get under the ball and hit sixes, there was varibale bounce. The way GT play, we were clear that we want to get their three batters in the powerplay and it worked

(using Romario Shepherd as the impact sub) I was just checking, if Romario is needed in the finals in the middle overs, that was the plan behind it.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the Purple Cap holder (26 wickets) now! 

Here's what he has to say: [On RCB’s bowling improvement and planning]“A lot of credit goes to the planning we’ve done behind the scenes. Execution is obviously important, but good planning gives you the best chance to execute well under pressure. It may sound cliché, but the preparation from the team has really helped us find consistency and rhythm as the tournament has progressed.”[On the role of experience and support staff]“It’s been a collective effort. Experienced players bring their understanding of situations, but the support staff also contribute a lot with the finer details and insights. Sometimes those small observations make a huge difference, and if experienced players can adapt and apply them correctly, it really works in the team’s favour.”[On using data and analysis in preparation]“I’d say we are data-informed rather than completely data-driven. If there’s something new or specific about a batter’s approach, we definitely study it and try to adapt. But at the end of the day, you still need to trust your instincts and skills in the middle.”[On RCB’s disciplined powerplay bowling]“A major part of our plan was to avoid giving batters any room. In modern T20 cricket, if you bowl too full or offer width, it usually disappears for boundaries. So the focus was on attacking the stumps, cramping the batters for room, and creating opportunities for LBWs and bowled dismissals. Thankfully, the execution came off really well today.”[On wearing the Purple Cap]“It feels good, of course, but there’s still one more game to go. Hopefully, I can continue contributing and hold onto it.”

Shubman Gill [Gujarat Titans captain]: [On Gujarat Titans’ performance in Qualifier 1]“I don’t think the pitch behaved unexpectedly. Up until the 12th or 13th over, we were actually in a good position. But our fielding let us down — we dropped a couple of crucial catches and our ground fielding wasn’t up to the standard required in a game of this magnitude.”[On bouncing back after the defeat]“This is definitely one of those games we’d like to forget quickly and move on from. The good thing is we still have another opportunity, and now it’s about resetting mentally and coming back stronger in Mohali.”[On GT’s fielding concerns this season]“It’s something we constantly discuss in team meetings and work on during practice sessions. I don’t think the intent or intensity was missing today, but in pressure moments, we just weren’t sharp enough, and that cost us.”[On chasing a massive target in Dharamsala]“When you’re chasing at nearly 13 or 14 an over, it’s all about getting a strong powerplay. On a ground like Dharamsala, with a quick outfield and good batting conditions, any total can feel chaseable if you start well. Unfortunately, we couldn’t build that momentum early enough.”[On Sai Sudharsan’s unfortunate dismissal]“That was really unlucky. You don’t see dismissals like that very often, and moments like those can sometimes change the course of a big chase.”

11:43 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (254/5 in 20 overs) beat Gujarat Titans (162 all-out in 19.3 overs) by 92 runs

Rajat Patidar 93*(33) | Jacob Duffy 3/39(4)
Rahul Tewatia 68(43) | Jason Holder 2/39(4)

The final of the IPL 2026 awaits RCB at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31 and the "attacking" champions will now await their opponents as they get a much needed break and watch the rest of action unfold

This could have ended at least 45 or so minutes ago, nonetheless RCB have absolutely thumped GT in Qualifier 1 and they have successfuly made their way into the grand finale in a bid to defened their crown

This is also the second largest victory margin (in terms of runs) in IPL playoffs behind RR's 105-run win against Delhi Daredevils back in 2008

The run chase, which did not turn out to be a run chase in the end, was pretty much done and dusted inside the powerplay itself. Sai Sudharsan's greatly unfortunate hit-wicket started it off in the third over and then GT simply lost their way completely. Duffy, Bhuvi and and Hazlewood got rid of the famous GT top-3 inside the first 5 overs and it was almost as if GT's worst nightmares of the top-order falling cheaply on the same day came true

 Rasikh Salam Dar's double wicket maiden ensured GT lost 5 wickets for the first time in the powerplay ever. Krunal Pandya then got into the wickets, Duffy took a couple more and it soon became 88/8. It looked like GT would fold under 100 but then Rahul Tewatia decided to save the blushes, he scored just his 2nd ever IPL fifty and made sure GT did not succumb to the biggest defeat in IPL history, even though this is as demoralizing as it can get for the team that finished second behind RCB in the points table only due to NRR

All said and done though, GT will have the chance to fight again as their top-2 finish ensured them exactly this. The off-day came when they could have afforded it, they wouldn't have liked it for sure. However, they will have another go on the 29th as they will take on the winner of the Eliminator between SRH and RR tomorrow in New Chandigarh

19.3 Krunal Pandya to Mohammed Siraj, OUT! MILES UP IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! RCB DISMANTLE GT, AND SEAL THEIR SPOT IN THE FINALS! RCB have absolutely blown Gujarat Titans away in Qualifier 1! Total carnage in Dharamsala as Bengaluru bulldoze their way into the IPL final with one of the most commanding playoff performances ever in the IPL!

That is an absolute screamer from Tim David. Length delivery on the stumps, Siraj hits it straight up. David comes running across from mid-off, full length dives and pouches it safely.

19.2 Krunal Pandya to Prasidh Krishna, OH DEAR! Nearly drags it back on. Length delivery in the channel, rocks back to cut, but inside edged it to short fine-leg for one.

Pretty reluctant single off the last ball, Bhuvi finishes another excellent night with the ball with 2/28. We have, somehow, got into the final over of the innings and it will be Krunal Pandya [3.0-0-15-1] to bowl it

Prasidh moves away at the eleventh hour, apologizes straightaway to Bhuvi. As a fast bowler himslef he would know how painful it can be to abort your action after loading up

18.3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Prasidh Krishna, FOUR! Prasidh's off the mark with a boundary. Back of a length outside the off-stump, cuts it nicely past backward point, raced off the bat.