Every single meeting between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 was won by the team batting second. Then Rajat Patidar hit 93 off 33 balls, and the pattern broke completely. Three weeks later, RCB and GT met one final time for the IPL 2026 title itself.
If you’re here for the numbers, they’re all below, across all four matches these two teams played this season. But the stat that actually tells the story isn’t any single score it’s the fact that these two teams defined IPL 2026 from the league phase all the way to the final, and the numbers shifted dramatically as the stakes rose.
Quick Stats: All Four RCB vs GT Meetings in IPL 2026
| Match | Venue | Result | Player of the Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match 34, 24 April 2026 | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | RCB won by 5 wickets | Virat Kohli, 81 off 44 |
| Match 42, 30 April 2026 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | GT won by 4 wickets | Jason Holder, 2/29 and a catch |
| Qualifier 1, 26 May 2026 | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala | RCB won by 92 runs | Rajat Patidar, 93* off 33 |
| Final, 31 May 2026 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | RCB won by 5 wickets | Virat Kohli, 75* off 42 |
RCB won three of the four meetings, including both matches that mattered most Qualifier 1 and the final itself.
Match 34 Stats: RCB’s Home Chase
Played 24 April 2026 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Result: RCB won by 5 wickets with 7 balls remaining.
Gujarat Titans posted 205/3, built on a century from Sai Sudharsan. RCB chased it down, finishing 206/5 in 18.5 overs. Virat Kohli’s 81 off 44 after being dropped in the very first over anchored the innings alongside Devdutt Padikkal’s rapid start, before Krunal Pandya’s late six off Manav Suthar and a boundary in the final over sealed the win.
Turning point: Here’s what most recaps get wrong. They credit Kohli’s fifty as the difference alone. But here’s the real problem for GT captain Shubman Gill later admitted the game slipped away during overs 16 to 19, when GT “couldn’t get any boundaries” in the field restrictions, letting RCB’s middle order re-set the required rate without pressure.
Key numbers: RCB’s chase of 206 was, at the time, the second-highest successful run-chase against Gujarat Titans in IPL history, behind only Rajasthan Royals’ 210 at Jaipur. This was also the seventh straight meeting between these two sides won by the chasing team.
Match 42 Stats: GT’s Response
Played 30 April 2026 at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Result: Gujarat Titans won by 4 wickets with 25 balls remaining.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru were bowled out for 155 in 19.2 overs. Gujarat Titans chased it down comfortably, finishing 158/6 in just 15.5 overs. Shubman Gill attacked from the very first over 24 runs came off the second over alone before Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s three wickets briefly pulled RCB back into contention. Jason Holder, coming in as an Impact Player substitute, finished the chase with a calm 12 off 10 and also took a spectacular diving catch earlier in the match to win Player of the Match.
Turning point: What most people miss about this result is that RCB actually fought back well with the ball stretching a modest total all the way to the 16th over of the chase.
Captain Rajat Patidar admitted afterward: “we gave a lot of wickets in the middle and that kept us on the back seat” a specific, honest diagnosis of exactly where the batting failure occurred.
Key numbers: GT’s 25 balls to spare is the second-most balls to spare in any successful GT chase in IPL history, behind only their 37-ball-to-spare win over Rajasthan Royals in 2023. All eight matches between these two sides to that point had been won by the chasing team four apiece.
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Qualifier 1 Stats: Patidar’s Record-Breaking Assault
Played 26 May 2026 at HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala.
Result: RCB won by 92 runs, ending the pattern of every previous meeting being decided by the chasing side.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru innings: 254/5 (20 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venkatesh Iyer | c Shubman Gill b Kagiso Rabada | 19 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 271.43 |
| Virat Kohli | b Jason Holder | 43 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 172.00 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | c Jos Buttler b Jason Holder | 30 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 157.89 |
| Rajat Patidar (c) | not out | 93 | 33 | 5 | 9 | 281.82 |
| Krunal Pandya | — | 43 | — | — | — | — |
GT bowling: Mohammed Siraj 3-0-46-0 (15.33 econ), Kagiso Rabada 4-0-54-2 (13.5 econ), Jason Holder 2/39.
Gujarat Titans innings: 162 all out (19.3 overs)
GT lost half their side inside the powerplay, including Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler, against RCB’s pace assault. Rahul Tewatia’s defiant 68 off 43 balls was the only real resistance, before Krunal Pandya dismissed Mohammed Siraj to end the innings.
Turning point: This is where things go wrong for a team facing a genuinely record-breaking total: Patidar’s 93 off just 33 balls, including nine sixes, meant GT needed to match a scoring rate no side in IPL history has consistently sustained. What most people miss is that RCB’s own total 254/5 was the highest score in IPL playoff history, and it broke the four-match pattern of chasing teams winning this exact fixture, precisely because it removed any realistic chase from the equation.
Player of the Match: Rajat Patidar (93* off 33), Counterintuitive idea worth stating plainly: a captain’s innings arriving at exactly the moment his team needed to shift an established losing pattern is not a coincidence of form it reflects a batter deliberately targeting the specific total that would make the chase mathematically hopeless rather than just competitive.
The Final Stats: Kohli Seals Back-to-Back Titles
Played 31 May 2026 at Narendra Modi Stadium. Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and chose to field.
Result: RCB won by 5 wickets with 12 balls remaining, becoming IPL 2026 champions.
Gujarat Titans innings: 155/8 (20 overs)
Fall of wickets: 22-1 (Shubman Gill, 2.2 ov), 26-2 (Sai Sudharsan, 3.4 ov), 55-3 (Nishant Sindhu, 7.6 ov), 73-4 (Jos Buttler, 12.1 ov), 99-5 (Arshad Khan, 14.1 ov). Washington Sundar finished unbeaten on 50, rescuing GT from an early collapse to a defendable total.
RCB bowling: Rasikh Salam 3/27 (best figures on either side).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru innings: 161/5 (18 overs)
Virat Kohli batted through the entire chase, finishing unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls, guiding RCB home with 12 balls to spare. Jitesh Sharma’s 11 off 14 provided support in the middle order.
GT bowling: Rashid Khan 2/25.
Turning point: Here’s the real problem GT couldn’t solve all night: Washington Sundar’s unbeaten 50 gave GT a fighting total after an early top-order collapse (22-1, 26-2, 55-3 inside eight overs), but Virat Kohli batting through the entire RCB chase from start to finish never let the required rate become a genuine threat.
Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (75* off 42). Bold opinion worth stating plainly: an unbeaten knock carried through an entire T20 chase is one of cricket’s most underrated captaincy-adjacent achievements it removes every source of panic a chasing dugout might otherwise feel, because the same batter who started the chase is still there to finish it.
Record context: Royal Challengers Bengaluru became only the third team in IPL history to successfully defend the title, after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Head-to-Head Stats Summary
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Total meetings in IPL 2026 | 4 |
| RCB wins | 3 |
| GT wins | 1 |
| Highest total in the head-to-head | 254/5 (RCB, Qualifier 1) |
| Lowest total in the head-to-head | 155 (RCB, Match 42) / 155/8 (GT, Final) |
| Biggest win margin | 92 runs (RCB, Qualifier 1) |
| Player with most runs across the four matches | Virat Kohli (81, 43, 75 across three matches — did not bat in Match 42’s chase) |
Read Also:- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans Match Scorecard
Bold opinion worth stating plainly: the story of this rivalry in IPL 2026 is really the story of RCB’s bowling attack finally clicking at the right moment. GT out-batted RCB in the league phase in Match 42, and their top three still functioned well enough to post competitive totals in both playoff matches. What changed was RCB’s pace attack Rasikh Salam, Kagiso Rabada, and the death-overs unit tightening up exactly when the stakes became unforgiving.
Key Highlights and Records From the Rivalry
- RCB’s 254/5 in Qualifier 1 is the highest team total in IPL playoff history.
- Rajat Patidar’s 93 off 33 balls in Qualifier 1 included nine sixes, the most destructive individual innings of the entire rivalry.
- Every meeting between these two sides before Qualifier 1 had been won by the team batting second a streak of eight straight matches.
- GT’s 25 balls to spare in Match 42 is the second-most balls to spare in any successful GT chase in IPL history.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru became only the third team in IPL history to defend the title successfully, after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
- Virat Kohli won Player of the Match in both RCB wins that had individual awards (Match 34 and the Final), scoring 81 and an unbeaten 75 respectively.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How many times did RCB and GT play each other in IPL 2026?
Ans. They met four times: Match 34 (RCB won by 5 wickets), Match 42 (GT won by 4 wickets), Qualifier 1 (RCB won by 92 runs), and the Final (RCB won by 5 wickets).
Q2. What is the highest team total in the RCB vs GT IPL 2026 rivalry?
Ans. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 254/5 in Qualifier 1 is the highest total across all four meetings also the highest total in IPL playoff history at the time.
Q3. Who won Player of the Match in the RCB vs GT final?
Ans. Virat Kohli won Player of the Match for his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, batting through the entire chase as RCB won by 5 wickets to become IPL 2026 champions.
Q4. Did RCB win back-to-back IPL titles?
Ans. Yes. RCB’s win over GT in the IPL 2026 final made them only the third team in IPL history to successfully defend the title, after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Q5. What was Rajat Patidar’s score in Qualifier 1 against GT?
Ans. Rajat Patidar scored an unbeaten 93 off 33 balls, including nine sixes, and was named Player of the Match as RCB posted 254/5 and won by 92 runs.