RCB Annihilate Kulwant Khejroliya On IPL Return

Kulwant Khejroliya concedes 28 runs vs RCB [Source: AP]In the top of the table battle at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday evening.Having won the toss, Shubman Gill asked Rajat Patidar and co. to bat first, but the mixture of some poor fielding and some underwhelming bowling meant the Titans were taken for the cleaners. Kulwant Khejroliya, who was just playing his first match of the season, was in the thick of things as GT gradually lost grip over the first innings. Despite starting the match well, the bowler lost the plot and conceded one of the most expensive overs of IPL playoffs history; fortunately, missing out on the unfortunate record. RCB blast Khejroliya for a 28-run over Playing against his former team, Kulwant Khejroliya was roped into the playing XI in place of Arshad Khan and was brought into the attack in the 13th over of the first innings. In his first over, he made a smart use of the slower balls and only conceded 3 runs, when RCB were looking to rebuild from a double-wicket over for Jason Holder. He was then trusted for another over in the 15th over of the innings, and incidentally, that was the time when Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya decided to put the foot on the accelerator and go all guns blazing. Probably due to some nerves, the southpaw also bowled two no-balls and a wide and finished the 9-ball over, conceding 28 runs. Krunal Pandya hit two fours on 14.3, followed by Rajat Patidar’s 4, 6 and 4 to finish the over. This meant that the 15th over of the innings proved to be the second-most expensive over of IPL playoffs after the famous 33-run over that Parvinder Awana bowled to Suresh Raina in Qualifier 2 of 2014, when Raina scored 87(25).Also Read: Kagiso Rabada Grabs The Greatest Powerplay Record In IPL HistoryMost expensive overs in IPL playoffs: 1. Pravinder Awana – 33 runs vs CSK, 2014, Q2. 2. Kulwant Khejroliya – 28 runs vs RCB, 2026, Q1. The bowler did not bowl any overs after this and was subbed off for Rahul Tewatia in the final over. Rajat Patidar leads from the front Reliving the old days, when Rajat Patidar made a name for himself, scoring a century in IPL 2022 playoffs against LSG, the captain was in full flow despite a couple of quick wickets in the middle overs. After coming in to bat at 93/2 at the 8.2 over mark, Patidar only needed to carry forward the momentum given by the top-3, but he immediately lost Devdutt Padikkal on the other end. He took his time alongside Krunal Pandya and was on 14*(10) at one point before they launched an attack on Khejroliya. The over helped him gain the momentum, and he went on to score 93*(33) with 9 sixes and five fours. Pandya got 43(28) and Jitesh Sharma chipped in with 15*(5), and RCB finished with 254/5 in 20 overs. Also Read: Watch- Krunal Pandya's 'Aata Majhi Satakli' Gesture Makes Virat Kohli In SplitsGT eye record IPL playoff run-chase After a massive 254/4 from RCB in the first innings, the Shubman Gill-led GT now have an uphill task in front of them as they look to secure a place in the final. Previously, 200 or more has only been chased twice in IPL playoffs, and the highest chase in these knockouts is 207/5 scored by the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 Qualifier 2. If GT win this clash against RCB, they will need to chase a record total in the IPL playoffs. Follow RCB vs GT Live Updates for the latest IPL 2026 scorecard for Qualifer 1