RCB have spent years turning playoffs into trauma archives. On Tuesday in Dharamsala, they turned one into a demolition site.
Rajat Patidar led the team from the front in Qualifier 1. (ANI Pic Service)
Their 254/5 against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 became the highest team total in IPL playoff history, going past GT’s 233/3 against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023. In a stage where batting sides usually tighten up, RCB expanded the game until Gujarat ran out of control, rhythm and options.
Rajat Patidar’s captaincy innings was bigger than the scorecard
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Rajat Patidar’s unbeaten 93 was not the highest individual score in IPL playoff history. His own 112 not out against Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 Eliminator remains above it. But this innings carried a different weight because it came with the armband, the match situation and the burden of a franchise that has often carried playoff scars.
RCB’s innings had a proper architecture. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal gave them speed at the top. Gujarat briefly found a way back when wickets came together. That was the phase where playoff innings often shrink. Patidar refused to let that happen.
He did not bat like a man chasing a hundred. He batted like a captain chasing scoreboard damage. That is what gave the innings its force.
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RCB’s final five overs produced 86 runs, and that burst changed the total from excellent to historic. A score around 210 would have kept Gujarat alive. A score around 230 would have created pressure. A score of 254/5 turned the chase into a psychological assault before it even began.
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RCB’s final five overs produced 86 runs, and that burst changed the total from excellent to historic. A score around 210 would have kept Gujarat alive. A score around 230 would have created pressure. A score of 254/5 turned the chase into a psychological assault before it even began.
Knockout cricket usually rewards control, but RCB found control through aggression. Their innings was not built on blind hitting. It moved through phases with purpose. Kohli gave them tempo. Padikkal added early disruption. Patidar held the innings together and then tore it open.
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That is why his 93 may sit below his 112 in the record list but above it in captaincy value. In 2022, Patidar announced himself as a playoff batter. In 2026, he led RCB into a final with one of the most commanding knocks in their history.
This was not merely a big score. It was a statement of temperament.
RCB did not wait for the playoff night to test them. They attacked it first. Patidar stood at the centre of that shift, turning a dangerous platform into the biggest team innings IPL playoffs have ever seen.
Probuddha Bhattacharjee is a sports writer and analyst with expertise spanning cricket, football, and multi-sport events, with a strong emphasis on data-driven journalism and tactical storytelling. He currently focuses on international cricket, the Indian Premier League, global tournaments, and emerging trends shaping modern sport, blending advanced statistics with strong narrative context to explain performance, strategy, and decision-making. His work aims to bridge the gap between numbers and storytelling, helping readers understand not just what happened on the field, but the tactical and structural reasons behind it.
Trained in data journalism through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data Journalism Lab, Probuddha works extensively with ball-by-ball datasets, performance metrics, and trend-based modelling to produce evidence-backed reports, explainers, and long-form features. His analytical approach focuses not only on outcomes but also on process—selection strategies, phase-wise tactics, workload management, and the influence of preparation and planning on match results. He is particularly interested in how statistical patterns reshape conventional cricketing narratives and provide clearer tactical insight for modern audiences.
Beyond cricket, Probuddha has written analytical and news-driven pieces on football and other major sporting events, with a growing interest in sports governance, scheduling dynamics, and the economics of elite competitions. He also tracks how rule changes, franchise structures, and broadcast pressures influence the evolution of contemporary sport.
He has previously contributed to platforms such as OneCricket, Sportskeeda, and CrickTracker, and continues to specialise in analytical storytelling, live coverage, and audience-focused reporting. His work prioritises clarity, context, and credibility, while consistently exploring innovative ways to present data through accessible narratives and structured match analysis.
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Home/Cricket/Face of destruction: Rajat Patidar's 93 powers RCB to highest-ever playoff total in IPL
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