01 June,2026 05:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik (Pic: File Pic)
In the IPL 2026 final match against Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged victorious by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
This was their second title in the league's history under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar. Following the triumph, RCB's batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on the skipper by saying that he likes to be a star and not a superstar.
"Rajat has been a huge calming influence in a dressing room that is high-octane and high testosterone. He keeps things very calm, and that's so important. The bowlers thrive when you have a calm captain; it definitely helps under pressure. I think he likes to be a star, not a superstar," he said on JioHotstar.
Further, the former cricketer said that Patidar only shows aggression when he is batting. Karthik also pointed out one trait in the Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer that he thinks is important in a "leader".
"There are plenty of guys in that team who are big names and get the job done in high-pressure situations. The only time Rajat is aggressive is when he's batting. Other than that, he brings a very calm atmosphere and is happy for a lot of the senior players to go front and centre, which I believe is a very important trait in a leader. He just sits back, allows things to get done, and does exactly what needs to be done in that moment," added the 41-year-old former cricketer.
With an aim of chasing the target of 156 runs, RCB scored 161 runs for the loss of five wickets in 18 overs.
Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer smashed 31 runs in just 16 balls, with the help of four boundaries and two maximums. Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed on one run in four balls.
Skipper Rajat Patidar scored 15 runs before departing. Facing 13 balls, he smashed a boundary and a maximum. Krunal Pandya's innings also came to an end with one run in two balls. Tim David accumulated 24 runs in 17 balls before departing. His knock included three boundaries and a maximum.
Facing 42 balls, stalwart Virat Kohli garnered an unbeaten 75 runs, laced with nine boundaries and three maximums. Shouldering him was wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma, who scored an unbeaten 11 runs in 14 balls, with the help of a boundary.
Gujarat's Rashid Khan claimed two wickets. Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Arshad Khan also bagged one wicket each. Impact Player Prasidh Krishna and Jason Holder went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against Bengaluru.
Earlier, having been put to bat first, GT's opening batsman Sai Sudharsan managed to score 12 runs in 12 balls, including two boundaries. Captain Shubman Gill registered 10 runs in eight balls, with the help of two boundaries.
Facing 18 balls, Nishant Sindhu scored 20 runs, which included three boundaries. Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler departed after scoring 19 runs in 23 balls. His knock included a boundary. Arshad Khan lost his wicket in 15 runs in six balls, including two maximums.
Later, Jason Holder was dismissed on seven runs in five balls, including a boundary. Washington Sundar played a fighting knock of an unbeaten 50 runs off 37 deliveries, laced with five boundaries. Rashid Khan also scored seven runs in three balls, including a maximum. Rahul Tewatia registered seven runs in five balls, including a boundary. Kagiso Rabada stayed unbeaten on three runs in three balls. With this, the Titans posted a total of 155 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs against the Royal Challengers.
Bengaluru's Rasikh Salam returned with the figures of three wickets for 27 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood claimed two wickets each. Krunal Pandya also chipped in with one wicket. Jacob Duffy went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against the Titans.
