Rajat Patidar produced a blistering unbeaten 93 off 33 balls to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 254/5 against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday. The total is now the highest ever recorded in IPL knockout history, driven by Patidar’s explosive batting display and late-innings acceleration. Patidar struck five boundaries and nine sixes in a commanding innings, finishing with a strike rate of 281.82, the highest by any batter in an IPL innings of 90 or more runs. He also holds the distinction of recording the highest strike rate in such an innings, surpassing the previous best set by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who had scored 103 off 37 balls, an effort that also stands as the second-fastest century in IPL history. The RCB skipper played only one dot ball, further underlining his dominance, and capitalised fully after being dropped twice in the same over by Gujarat Titans fielders. RCB power past 250 with late-innings carnage His assault helped RCB produce 86 runs in the final five overs and 114 in the last six overs, shifting the game decisively in their favour. The innings also added to Patidar’s growing reputation as a prolific playoff performer in the IPL.Strong playoff record strengthened further Patidar now has 338 runs in six IPL playoff innings at an average of 112.66 and a strike rate of 193.14, including one century and two fifties. His tally includes 25 fours and 24 sixes, placing him among the most destructive batters in knockout history. His playoff journey began with an unbeaten 112 against Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 Eliminator, followed by 58 in the Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals that same season. He has since delivered consistent knockout contributions against multiple opponents, including Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. Earlier momentum in RCB innings RCB started strongly with Venkatesh Iyer attacking Mohammed Siraj before falling for 19 to Kagiso Rabada. Virat Kohli countered with a fluent 43 off 25 balls, while Devdutt Padikkal added 30 as RCB reached 76/1 in the Powerplay. Gujarat Titans briefly fought back through Rashid Khan and Jason Holder, who removed Kohli and Padikkal in quick succession. However, the match swung decisively in RCB’s favour during the 14th over when Patidar was dropped twice, allowing him to take full control.Fielding errors prove costly for Gujarat Titans GT’s struggles deepened as Kulwant Khejroliya conceded 28 runs in a costly over featuring misfields, no-balls and a wide. Patidar made full use of the chances, accelerating against both Khejroliya and Rashid Khan. Krunal Pandya contributed a brisk 43 in a 95-run partnership before being dismissed by Kagiso Rabada. Patidar reached his half-century with a towering six off Rabada and maintained his aggressive tempo until the end, finishing unbeaten in one of the most dominant IPL playoff innings ever played.