Rajat Patidar‘s unbeaten 93 off 33 deliveries against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 did more than fire Royal Challengers Bengaluru into a second consecutive final — it triggered one of the most pointed India white-ball selection debates of the season. Patidar walked in with RCB at 99 for 3 in the 11th over and systematically dismantled a formidable GT bowling attack, reaching his half-century in just 21 deliveries before turning the death overs into an assault. The defending champions finished on 254 for 5, the highest total ever recorded in IPL playoff history, surpassing Gujarat Titans’ own previous record of 233. GT were bowled out for 162 in reply, handing RCB a 92-run victory and a direct path to the final in Ahmedabad.
The innings and what drives it
Patidar’s knock featured five boundaries and nine sixes, with the RCB skipper exploiting Dharamshala’s shorter square boundaries with clinical precision once he shifted gears. RCB posted 114 runs in the final six overs alone, with Patidar unbeaten at the close. Mo Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket, was unequivocal in crediting the sustained work Patidar has put in with the franchise’s coaching staff. “He’s worked incredibly hard on his game with both DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy Flower,” Bobat said in the post-match press conference.
Bobat identified something specific at the heart of what makes Patidar such a reliable match-winner at this level. “One thing about Rajat is that he middles the ball a lot. Whether it’s pace or spin, front foot or back foot, the ball often hits the middle of his bat. That’s usually a very good sign. He has really strong basics and a fearless intent. Over the last couple of years, we’ve tried hard to make that the identity of our team,” he added.
Reading the game, not just playing it
What impressed Bobat as much as the strokeplay was Patidar’s situational awareness throughout the innings. After RCB lost wickets in the middle overs, the captain briefly steadied the innings before launching again in the final powerplay. “One of the things he’s done really well this year is picking his moments. Today was similar. After a strong start from the top order, we lost a couple of wickets, and he recognised that it was time for a mini rebuild before accelerating again,” Bobat said.
That capacity to shift tempo intelligently — rather than simply bat at one speed — has become the clearest marker of Patidar’s evolution as a top-order batter. “That ability to read situations and conditions, knowing when to go to top gear and when to slow things down slightly, has been the most impressive part of his development,” Bobat added. Across 14 innings in IPL 2026, Patidar has accumulated 486 runs at an average of 44.18 and a strike rate of 196.76 — numbers that compare favourably with any middle-order batter in the competition this season.
From injury replacement to IPL-winning captain
Patidar’s standing today bears little resemblance to how his RCB journey began. He arrived at the franchise in 2022 as an injury replacement, impressing immediately with his composure and clean ball-striking. By 2025, he had been handed the captaincy and led RCB to their first-ever IPL title, ending an 18-year wait that had become one of cricket’s most discussed narratives. That triumph came against Punjab Kings in the final, closing a chapter that had seen RCB lose three previous finals and carry the unwanted label of a franchise that could not win the big one.
The 2026 edition has only deepened his grip on the role. Patidar has produced match-winning contributions throughout a campaign in which RCB finished as league-stage table-toppers with nine wins from 14 matches. “He’s certainly batting brilliantly right now and has done so throughout the competition. That was a really special knock today, and I’m sure he’ll be very pleased to have stood up in such a big qualifier. Any team whose captain is playing well gets greater confidence from that,” Bobat said. The confidence his innings generate is visible in how RCB have structured their batting — aggressive, fearless, and built around his example. “We’re becoming accustomed to seeing these sorts of knocks from him now. He played some outrageous shots, but it was also the aggressive intent that stood out. That’s leading by example,” Bobat said.
An ownership that knows him personally
The RCB dressing room was not the only place celebrating in Dharamshala. The franchise’s new ownership — the Aditya Birla Group-led consortium that acquired RCB for US$1.78 billion, as previously reported by cricexec, ahead of IPL 2026, making it the most expensive franchise acquisition in the league’s history — had its own personal stake in the moment. Aryaman Birla, now RCB Chairman, and Patidar share a history that predates both their current roles by several years. The two played together in Madhya Pradesh cricket between 2017 and 2019, opening the batting together on several occasions during that period. Patidar had already established himself as one of MP’s most dependable domestic batters by that point, having recorded 713 runs in eight Ranji Trophy matches during the 2018-19 season. Aryaman, who also scored a first-class century against Bengal at Eden Gardens during his playing years, stepped away from professional cricket to take on responsibilities within the Aditya Birla Group. Their paths converged again when the Group acquired RCB, with Aryaman becoming Chairman and Patidar continuing as captain.
After Tuesday’s result confirmed RCB’s place in a second consecutive IPL final, Aryaman posted a reaction on Instagram with a simple caption — “Rajat bhai” — the brevity of which carried the weight of a shared journey. Ananya Birla, another prominent face of the Aditya Birla Group, was present at the stadium and wrote on Instagram: “What. A. Win. Congratulations @royalchallengers.bengaluru. Today was so inspiring to witness. Here we come, finals.”
The India question that can no longer be avoided
At 32, Patidar has represented India in three Tests and one ODI, with his most recent international appearance coming against England in Ranchi in February 2024. He has never played a T20I. That anomaly is becoming increasingly difficult to defend. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, framed the situation plainly. “There must be a discussion. If it doesn’t happen, then something is wrong. Rajat Patidar played an important knock, but this is not the first time; he has a great record in Qualifiers,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin also addressed directly where Patidar now stands relative to Shreyas Iyer, who had been widely considered a step ahead in the race for the No. 4 position entering the playoffs. “Before this knock, Shreyas Iyer was a little ahead of Rajat Patidar. But after today’s knock, Rajat Patidar is right up there. We all know how Rajat Patidar plays spinners, but today, he did well against the fast bowlers as well. It was surprising that no GT bowler tested him with the bouncer,” Ashwin added. Iyer had built a compelling case through the first half of the season — his credentials as a leader include guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2024 IPL title and PBKS to the 2025 final — but Punjab Kings’ dramatic collapse in 2026, losing six consecutive matches after an opening run of six wins, ultimately cost them a playoff berth and dimmed his momentum.
Ashwin’s case for Patidar extended beyond the innings itself to what leading RCB into a final represents as a body of evidence. “If Shreyas Iyer’s amazing form coincided with PBKS making it to the playoffs, [it would have been ideal]. I still think Shreyas Iyer is in contention, but if, by captaining RCB and reaching the final with such a knock, who knows, he might defend the title as well, then it is important to talk about him. Not just talk, it is important to give him a chance,” Ashwin noted Former India batter Ambati Rayudu went further, telling ESPNcricinfo: “I think there are about two or three guys whose names I would write first and then build the squad around them, and he (Patidar) is definitely one of them. You need him in the T20 squad. There is no two ways about it.”
Former India Captain and selector Kris Srikkanth echoed that view on his YouTube channel, extending the case to both white-ball formats. “If I were the chairman of the committee today, I’d give Rajat Patidar a chance for India in white ball cricket. They should give him a chance in white ball cricket, be it T20 or ODI cricket,” Srikkanth said. With India’s upcoming assignments against Ireland and England now in focus, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee faces a case built on consistent run-scoring, playoff-stage leadership, and a strike rate of 196.76 that outpaces both Iyer and Heinrich Klaasen this season. Whether Patidar adds a second IPL title to his record in Ahmedabad will only sharpen the argument further.
