Rajat Patidar in action during IPL 2026© AFP
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar scripted history as he achieved a sensational feat during the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 match against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. Patidar remained unbeaten on 93 off 33 deliveries with the help of 5 fours and 9 sixes. In the process, he took his tally to 41 sixes in IPL 2026, helping him become the captain with the most sixes in a single T20 competition. The record previously belonged to Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag who slammed 40 sixes as captain for Assam in the 2023–24 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
When it comes to IPL, the record for the most sixes by a captain in a single IPL season belonged to Shreyas Iyer who smashed 39 sixes for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. During his knock against GT, Patidar’s 9 sixes took him past Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and Ishan Kishan in the elite list.
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill admitted that poor fielding and mistakes under pressure proved costly as his side suffered a crushing 92-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday.
The loss ended Gujarat’s hopes of reaching the final directly, while defending champions RCB booked their place in a second consecutive IPL final after bowling out GT for 162 in reply to a massive 254/5.
Gill said Gujarat were still in the game till the middle overs but failed to handle pressure situations properly. “I think we were going pretty well up until the 12th or 13th over. I don’t think our fielding was at par. We dropped a couple of catches, and our ground fielding was also not up to the mark,” Gill said after the match.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar made Gujarat pay heavily for those missed chances, smashing an unbeaten 93 off just 39 balls. Gujarat also leaked runs through misfields and no-balls during the middle overs as RCB registered the highest total in IPL playoff history.
Reflecting on the defeat, Gill described it as a match the team would prefer to move on from quickly. “This is one of those games that we would like to forget and start over in Mohali,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
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