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Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya did not take much time before taking down the GT bowlers with utter dominance. After dropping chances off Prasidh Krishna, the RCB duo takes down GT's new man Kulwant Khejroliya in his second over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru started off well in the Qualifier 1, as the successful pair of Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal once again added runs with a fifty-run partnership that gave them a solid start after the powerplay.
Virat Kohli was dismissed for 43 while Padikkal departed for 30 after Jason Holder brought GT back into the game with a double wicket over. However, the Titans were not aware of what was going to come in the form of the RCB skipper.
Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya take down Kulwant Khejroliya with a 28-run over
Much remained silent after those two quiet overs from Rashid Khan and that double wicket strike from Jason Holder. However, the RCB batters were patient as they relied on their ability to accelerate at any point of the game.
After Rajat Patidar offered some chances in the 14th over, he pounced onto a free hit in the very next over from Kulwant Khejroliya. After being hit for some boundaries on a no-ball and the free hit, Khejroliya overstepped on the fourth ball of the over.
This time it was Patidar who came into the party and scored 14 of the last three balls, hence, finishing a massive 28-run over. This set the tone for the carnage that Rajat Patidar was looking to bring down at Dharamshala.
Dropped twice: Rajat Patidar wreaks havoc at Dharamshala
The Gujarat Titans are paying the price of their grave mistakes. The Titans fielders looked too casual after that 10th over of the match. From drop catches to misfields, the Titans fielders let the momentum drift from their end.
While Patidar skied on up on the first ball of the 14th over of the game, Jos Buttler and Kulwant Khejroliya dropped one difficult chance after an incredible effort. Just one ball after that, he once again was trapped by Prasidh Krishna.
This time the catch was way simpler, and Kagiso Rabada, one of the safest fielders, was in position for a catch dipping at him. He dove forward, but the ball bounced out of his palms, and Patidar survived at just the score of 21.
A true captain's knock: Rajat Patidar's extravagant effort in search of second consecutive Final
Rajat Patidar stole the show in Dharamshala once the catches were split by the GT fielders. As Patidar put on an extravagant effort in search of their second straight final after a promising win last season, the crowd was in absolute awe to witness the highest ever score in an IPL playoff.
He, alongside Krunal Pandya, added several runs for that fourth wicket, and his batting was completely off the charts. Patidar started off slowly but then went on to score 71 runs off just 19 balls after he started finding the ball on the middle of his bat.
Striking at 281.82 with nine sixes and five fours, Patidar took RCB to a mammoth 254, the highest ever score in an IPL playoff.
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