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Royal Challengers Bengaluru are into the IPL 2026 final after a breezy, almost one-sided 92-run victory over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1. While the margin was huge, most of the chatter afterwards turned to the individual races for the Orange and Purple caps.
Qualifier 1 in short
RCB 254-5 (Patidar 93*, Kohli 43) beat GT 162 all out (Holder 2-39, Salam 2-24) by 92 runs.
Purple Cap: Bhuvneshwar vs Rabada
Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada began the evening on 24 wickets. Each finished on 26, but economy keeps the Indian seamer ahead. Rabada removed Venkatesh Iyer early and Krunal Pandya late yet was taken for 54 from four overs – an eye-watering 13.50. Bhuvneshwar, by contrast, had Shubman Gill caught in the fourth over and later pinned Rahul Tewatia, closing with 2-28.
“Not trying anything fancy, just bowling the hard lengths,” Bhuvneshwar told the host broadcaster. His season economy sits at a tidy 8.00; Rabada’s is 9.48. That, for now, leaves the purple cap on the Sunrisers’ quick.
Jason Holder’s 2-39 – Kohli and Padikkal in one over – nudged him to 15 wickets from nine matches and into 12th spot. Rasikh Salam kept things miserly again, 2-24 taking him to 16 wickets and the fringe of the top ten.
Orange Cap: top order stumbles, Kohli closes
GT’s prolific openers finally mis-fired. Shubman Gill made just two, B Sai Sudharsan 14, yet they remain Nos 1 and 2 with 618 and 652 runs respectively. Kohli’s sprightly 43 off 25 moved him to 600 and fourth place, leapfrogging KL Rahul. Only Heinrich Klaasen, on 607, separates Kohli from the Titans pair.
Kohli summed it up simply: “The job was to set the tone, the others finished it off.” Jos Buttler’s 11-ball 29 lifted him to 498 runs (12th), while Rajat Patidar’s spectacular unbeaten 93 – six fours, nine sixes – carried him to 486 (14th).
Decision to chase queried
On the TV panel Ambati Rayudu was blunt: “GT should always bat first.” He felt Hardik Pandya’s side had boxed themselves in by opting to chase on a placid track that got slower only after the powerplay. Coach Ashish Nehra acknowledged conditions were “better than we judged”, conceding the call hurt them.
Economy and strike-rate stand-outs
• Best batting strike-rate (min 150 balls): Klaasen 207.5
• Meanest bowling economy (min 20 overs): Bhuvneshwar 8.00
• Most 50+ scores: Sudharsan 7
What it means
RCB enjoy a longer break before the final. GT must regroup for Qualifier 2, where another slip would undo a largely excellent campaign. Whether they stick with the chase-first approach will be watched closely.
Looking ahead
Rabada insists the purple race is “far from finished”; two matches remain for GT should they reach the final. Bhuvneshwar could yet be overtaken, but the gap is now more than maths – it is economy, rhythm and, as he put it, “clarity over cleverness”.
For the batters, Sudharsan’s cushion is 34. One substantial innings from Gill, Klaasen or Kohli would change the order. All three are still alive in the tournament.
Minor numbers, major markers, plenty still to settle. For now, though, Bengaluru travel on and the caps, both purple and orange, stay just where they were at the start of a decisive night in Ahmedabad.
