RCB Qualify Back-To-Back IPL Final Spots in 2025 and 2026

The excitement of IPL 2026 is at its peak right now, and why not, we have got our first finalist of this season! Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have created history once again. After winning the trophy in 2025, RCB have made it to the Grand Final of 2026 for the second time in a row. Played at the beautiful Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, RCB handed Gujarat Titans (GT) such a crushing defeat in the Qualifier 1 match that Titans fans were left stunned. In this match, RCB's Heroes, batting first, made a formidable total of 254 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs, which became the highest score in IPL playoff history.

In this match, Gujarat Titans' captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to bowl first, which proved to be a nightmare for him. RCB's batsmen came to the ground in a different mood.

After the early dismissal of the openers, RCB's captain Rajat Patidar came to the crease. Patidar batted so fiercely and dangerously that Gujarat's world-class bowling attack became completely helpless. Rajat Patidar played an innings of 93 runs in just 33 balls, which will always be remembered. His devastating innings included 9 long sixes (6s) and 5 fours (4s). He was supported by veteran King Virat Kohli, who scored 43 runs in 25 balls, while in the middle order, Krunal Pandya also played a brilliant and sensible innings of 43 runs in 28 balls. From GT's side, Kagiso Rabada took 2 wickets, and Jason Holder took 2 wickets, while Prasidh Krishna got 1 wicket, but all of them proved to be very costly.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Playing 11:

Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Rasikh Salam, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy.

Gujarat Titans (GT) Playing 11:

Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Kulwant Khejroliya, Prasidh Krishna.

When the Gujarat Titans set out to chase the massive target of 255 runs, RCB's bowling attack did not give them a chance to recover. GT's top-order batsmen were completely overwhelmed by the pressure of the target. Sai Sudharsan was out hit-wicket in a strange and poor manner after scoring only 14 runs, and captain Shubman Gill was dismissed by veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar for just 2 runs. English wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler tried a little and scored 29 runs in 11 balls, but his dismissal left GT's team scattered like a pack of cards. If anyone in the entire team stood out, it was hard-hitter Rahul Tewatia. Coming in down the order, Tewatia played a brilliant innings and scored 68 runs in 43 balls, in which he also hit some interesting sixes. But unfortunately, he did not get any support from the other side. No other batsman of GT could even reach double figures! The entire Gujarat Titans team was all out for a mere 162 runs in 19.3 overs, and RCB won this Qualifier 1 match by a huge margin of 92 runs and booked a direct ticket to the final. If we look at the entire journey of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026, they have shown amazing dominance from the league stage to the playoffs. RCB has secured its place in the final by winning a total of 10 matches in the tournament. Out of 14 matches in the league stage, RCB had achieved excellent success in 9 matches, due to which they were successful in finishing in the top 2 in the points table. After this, they registered their 10th win by defeating the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 and made their way straight to the final. The defending champions have bravely faced every difficult situation throughout the season.

Dono Teams Ka Head To Head In Playoffs

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) have always been neck-and-neck in IPL history. However, if we specifically talk about playoffs or knockout matches, this Qualifier 1 match of IPL 2026 was the first and only meeting between these two teams in the playoffs. These two teams had never faced each other in the IPL playoffs before.

Before this, in the overall IPL history, both teams had played 8 league matches against each other, where their record was tied at 4-4. But by winning this crucial playoff match, RCB has now taken a lead of 5-4 in the overall head-to-head record and has proved its supremacy by registering its first point in the playoffs.

Captain Rajat Patidar cannot be praised enough for this golden victory of RCB. When the top order batters of the team were out a little early, Patidar changed the atmosphere of the entire stadium in the pressure moment. Batting at a strike rate of 281.82, he showed why he is currently one of India's most dangerous T20 batsmen. He easily dismissed top bowlers like Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada.

On the other hand, Krunal Pandya provided excellent balance to the team by coming into the middle order. He not only scored 43 runs with the bat but also took two crucial wickets when it came to bowling, giving away just 16 runs in 3.3 overs. This partnership between Krunal and Patidar completely eliminated the Gujarat Titans from the match.

RCB fans are celebrating right now, and instead of "Ee Sala Cup Namdu" slogans, "Ee Sala Cup Bhi Namdu" are being heard everywhere. After 2025, by reaching the final of 2026, RCB has shown that their team does not just run on luck but on proper planning and complete dominance. Their batting lineup is currently looking the worst in the entire tournament.

Now, the Gujarat Titans still have one chance left. They will clash with the winner of Eliminator (Rajasthan Royals) in Qualifier 2. Whichever team wins Qualifier 2 will face RCB directly at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31st. Cricket fans are now eagerly awaiting the final match, where they will see whether RCB creates history by lifting the IPL trophy for the second time in a row!