Rajat Patidar Gets Ahead Of Shreyas Iyer For India Captaincy And Batting – Rajat Patidar Overtakes Shreyas Iyer in India Captaincy and Batting Debates

The Dharamshala Spectacle: RCB’s Statement of Intent

The picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala played host to a historic clash on May 26, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced off against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2026. With a spot in the grand finale on the line, the pressure was immense. GT captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to exploit the chasing-friendly conditions of the venue. However, RCB’s batting lineup responded with absolute authority, executing a high-octane game plan from the very first delivery.

Venkatesh Iyer set the tone early with a blistering, cameo-style innings, smashing 19 runs off just 7 deliveries. This early explosion allowed veteran opener Virat Kohli to construct a solid yet aggressive foundation, scoring 43 runs off 25 balls, decorated with five boundaries and a six. Devdutt Padikkal maintained the momentum, contributing a brisk 30 runs off 19 balls. But when both Kohli and Padikkal fell in quick succession during the same over, the match hung in a delicate balance. It was at this crucial juncture that RCB captain Rajat Patidar stepped up to play the innings of a lifetime.

Rajat Patidar Leads RCB to Record-Breaking Total

Stepping onto the crease under pressure, Rajat Patidar put on a masterclass in modern T20 batting. His unbeaten knock of 93* off just 33 deliveries completely dismantled the Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack. Patidar batted with an astonishing strike rate of 281.82, launching nine colossal sixes and cracking five boundaries. He found able partners along the way; Krunal Pandya anchored beautifully with a vital 43, while Jitesh Sharma provided late-innings fireworks with a quick-fire 15* off just 5 balls. Together, they propelled RCB to a mammoth total of 254/5 in their allotted 20 overs—the highest total ever recorded in an IPL playoff match.

GT Batting Collapses Under Scoreboard Pressure

Faced with a mountainous target of 255, the Gujarat Titans needed a flying start. While Jos Buttler (29) and Sai Sudharsan (14) threatened briefly, the sheer scoreboard pressure proved too heavy to handle. The GT batting lineup collapsed under consistent pressure from the RCB bowlers. Rahul Tewatia played a brilliant, fighting knock of 68, but it was far from enough as wickets fell regularly at the other end. GT was eventually restricted to 162 runs, handing RCB a convincing 92-run victory and a direct ticket to the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad on May 31.

RCB’s bowling unit put on a disciplined display. New-ball bowler Jacob Duffy was the pick of the bowlers, returning impressive figures of 3/39. He was excellently supported by Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picked up two wickets apiece to dismantle the Titans’ chase.

Ravichandran Ashwin Lauds Patidar’s Genius on ‘Ash ki Baat’

Rajat Patidar’s heroic display did not go unnoticed by the cricketing fraternity. Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was full of praise for the RCB skipper on his popular YouTube show, ‘Ash ki Baat’. Ashwin highlighted Patidar’s ability to dominate both pace and spin with equal elegance. One of the highlights of Patidar’s batting was his ruthless demolition of Kulwant Khejroliya, where he plundered 28 runs in a single over. But it was his shot against Kagiso Rabada in the 17th over, shortly after reaching a 21-ball half-century, that truly left Ashwin awestruck.

Facing a rapid delivery pitched outside off-stump, Patidar executed an unbelievable backfoot six. Reflecting on this shot, Ashwin exclaimed: “That backfoot six Rajat hit off Kagiso Rabada was the straight-up shot of the day, probably even a contender for shot of the tournament. How he even managed to generate that power from there is beyond me.”

Is Patidar Ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the National Pecking Order?

Beyond the technical brilliance of his batting, Ashwin also weighed in on the wider implications of Patidar’s performance, specifically comparing him to Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer in terms of batting and leadership qualities. Ashwin suggested that Patidar’s match-winning knock in a high-pressure playoff game has completely changed the narrative.

“Before this knock, Shreyas Iyer was probably a bit ahead in the captaincy and batting conversations, but after tonight, Patidar is right up there,” Ashwin remarked. He further praised Patidar’s exceptional footwork against world-class spin, saying: “We all know how good Rajat Patidar is against spin, but the way he handled fast bowling today was seriously impressive too. And those sixes he hit off Rashid Khan… I’ve seen very few batters who can get onto the front foot, get right to the pitch of the ball, and still loft Rashid over extra cover for six like that. Pure class. Cometh the man, cometh the hour.”

RCB on the Verge of Back-to-Back IPL Titles

With this emphatic win, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have secured their spot in their second consecutive IPL final. This gives them a golden opportunity to win back-to-back IPL championships, a feat achieved by only two other franchises in the history of the league. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) first achieved this by winning consecutive titles in 2010 and 2011, followed by Mumbai Indians (MI) who secured successive trophies in 2019 and 2020. Under the visionary leadership and red-hot form of Rajat Patidar, RCB stands on the precipice of cricketing immortality as they prepare for the ultimate showdown in Ahmedabad.