Rajat Patidar created history after leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their second consecutive final following their thumping 93-run victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the first qualifier of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday (May 26) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala. The result means that the Bengaluru-based franchise will play the summit clash of the tournament on Sunday (May 31) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
This will mark the fifth final in the history of the franchise as they win for their second title. The Men in Red and Gold previously played the marquee clash in 2009, 2011, 2016, and 2025. They lost in each of their first three appearances before lifting their maiden title last year after beating Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Patidar, who is the only IPL-winning captain in the franchise's history, has now also become the first captain in history to lead RCB to two IPL finals. Previously, they had played the summit clash under Anil Kumble (2009), Daniel Vettori (2011), and Virat Kohli (2016).
However, for the franchise across genders and competitions, Patidar is the third captain to feature in two finals after Vettori, who also led the franchise in the 2011 Champions League T20 Final (which they also lost). Smriti Mandhana has also led the RCB women's team in two Women's Premier League (WPL) finals , which they have won both (2024 and 2016)
Meanwhile, Patidar has become the first RCB captain to reach the IPL final in each of his first two seasons leading the franchise. Previously Kumble and Vettori had led the franchise to the summit clash in their first season in charge but failed to repeat the heroics the next year.
Meanwhile, RCB has emerged victorious in three playoff matches under Patidar's leadership after last year's Q1 and final, which is the most any captain has won while leading RCB.
Most Playoff Matches Won By A RCB Men's Captain In IPL
In fact, the 32-year-old is only the second captain in IPL's history to lead his team to the final in each of his first two seasons in the top job. Hardik Pandya (GT in 2022 and 2023) is the only other player to achieve the rare feat.
Meanwhile, Patidar's RCB are only the fourth team to play back-to-back IPL finals after Chennai Super Kings (under MS Dhoni in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2018/2019); Mumbai Indians (under Rohit Sharma in 2019 and 2020); GT (under Hardik in 2022 and 2023).
Overall apart from the above four mentioned captains, only Gautam Gambhir (2012 and 2014 for KKR) and Shreyas Iyer (2020 for DC, 2024 for KKR, and 2025 for PBKS) have played multiple IPL finals.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
