IPL 2026, Qualifier 1: RCB enters final after defeating GT; Message from former franchise owner Vijay Mallya!

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) entered the Indian Premier League final for the second consecutive time by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on Tuesday. RCB, who were at the top of the points table in the league stage, achieved a resounding victory thanks to skipper Rajat Patidar’s unbeaten 93 off 33 balls and a strong pace attack that shattered the opposition’s top order inside the powerplay. Former franchise owner Vijay Mallya congratulated RCB on their qualification to the final on social media.

Batting first after losing the toss, RCB posted a mammoth total of 254 runs for the loss of five wickets. Patidar played one of the most devastating innings of this edition. He easily hit boundaries early in the innings. The RCB skipper made the GT bowlers sweat in the death overs. He took the team past the 250-run mark.

‘Congratulations to our big lions of RCB for the resounding win in Dharamshala tonight. You roared like the Bengaluru Lions and entered the IPL final as the defending champions,’ Vijay Mallya wrote on X. Qualifier 1: ‘We are coming for you’; Rajat Patidar smashes 93 off 33 balls, talks about killer approach