Rajat Patidar Dinesh Karthik Mo Bobat. Image Credits: AP/RCB
RCB captain Rajat Patidar owned the Qualifier 1 platform of the IPL 2026 season with brutal hitting against the Gujarat Titans. However, the reason behind his impeccable hitting is apparently the resentment towards his own team management.
Batting first, RCB put a mammoth total of 254 runs on the board courtesy of Patidar’s storm. The skipper hammered 93* off just 33 balls, including 5 fours and 9 sixes at a strike rate of 281.
Rajat Patidar leaves behind ‘spin basher’ tag
Interestingly, after RCB won the Qualifier 1 game to storm into the IPL 2026 final, team director Mo Bobat made a surprising revelation about Rajat Patdiar.
He admitted that he once called Patidar a "spin-basher", something that apparently annoyed the RCB captain because it implied he struggled against pace. Since then, the skipper has seemingly made it his mission to prove otherwise.
"I remember at some point last season I called him a spin-basher and I think he got a bit annoyed with me because I was implying it was only spin. He's probably trying to prove a point to me now," Bobat said.
The results are now visible for everyone to see. Whether facing spin or express pace, Rajat Patidar has become one of the cleanest ball-strikers in IPL 2026.
Also Read - “New GOAT Of RCB”: Fans Crown Rajat Patidar Over Virat Kohli After His Dharamshala Special
Patidar’s evolution against pace bowling
That being said, Mo Bobat wasn’t completely wrong in his assessment. From 2021 to 2025, Rajat Patidar struggled against pace bowling, hitting 565 in 35 games.
However, in 2026, he transformed himself completely. In 12 games this year, the RCB captain has scored 362 runs against pacers with a 192 strike rate, including two half-centuries.
Against the Gujarat Titans alone, Patidar hit towering sixes against Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, two of the most successful pacers of the IPL 2026 season.
Although Patidar used to tackle raw pace and hit the deck bowling cleanly in the past, the tag of ‘spin basher’ stuck with him owing to his consistency against spinners.
Regardless, in IPL 2026, Rajat Patidar has proved a point. He is now a complete batter who can change the course of the game at any point and against any opposition.
RCB storm into second successive final
Meanwhile, defending champions RCB qualified for the IPL 2026 final in style by beating Gujarat Titans in a one-sided Qualifier 1 game. After smashing 254 runs in the first innings, the bowlers did a remarkable job in the second innings.
Sai Sudharsan shot himself in the foot with a hit-wicket dismissal, and Shubman Gill’s scratchy knock ended in 2 off 7 balls.
Post that, GT’s batting lineup collapsed completely. Rahul Tewatia showed some resistance with 68 off 43 balls, but other than that, 8 batters were dismissed on single-digit scores.
RCB will now sit comfortably in the final, whereas GT will get another shot at redemption as they’ll play Qualifier 2 against the winner of the Eliminator game.
Also Read - RCB Hit Gujarat Titans’ Biggest Choke Points To Storm Into IPL 2026 Final
