Rajat Patidar could not have wished for a better birthday. The RCB captain, who turned 33 on Monday (May 1, 2026), was all smiles as he sat beside the IPL trophy in the press conference room in Ahmedabad.

“It is the best gift. Nothing can be better than this — to win the IPL for two successive years,” Patidar said. He added that while the team will celebrate the triumph, the focus will shift to “how we can do three in a row”.

The Madhya Pradesh player added that he has worked a great deal on his batting. The results were clear as Patidar looked more assertive and dominant at the crease.

“Before coming into the IPL, I spent a lot of time understanding my batting. I did proper net sessions. Sometimes, I was the only one at nets, and I needed bowlers. After that, I communicated a lot with D.K. bhai [RCB mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik] about how I could do more, trigger moments, technical changes, etc. Then I came here and executed that,” Patidar said.

Patidar stated that he drew inspiration from Faf du Plessis, his first captain at RCB. “The way Faf du Plessis presented himself, the body language, the confidence — these are things I learnt,” he said.

Speaking about the dominant show in the final, Patidar explained that dismissing the Gujarat Titans’ top-order — Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler — early proved to be crucial. “The GT batting line-up depends a lot on the top three batters. All three brought them to the final. We planned to get the top three out in the PowerPlay. We did take two wickets. They went on the back foot from there. That changed the game,” Patidar said.

After the fourth ball of the 17th over bowled by Kagiso Rabada, Virat Kohli held his extended lower jaw in pure amazement. He could scarcely believe that a length ball delivered by the Gujarat Titans pacer had been deposited into the stands at extra cover. You wouldn’t get a more glowing review of that shot than this gobsmacked expression from the legend. The architect of that piece of brilliance was Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar.

The 32-year-old scored an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls to outbat the opposition in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 to take his side closer to the prospect of a second successive title. Patidar played out just a solitary dot ball in his game-changing knock.

“When we lost those couple of wickets (Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal), after a good start from the top three, it meant that we had a little bit of time just to do a little rebuild and then go again. Rajat recognising those moments and deciding when to shift the gears, that takes a real level of discipline and sophistication to your thinking and your planning,” said Mo Bobat, RCB’s director of cricket.

“One of the things about Rajat is he tends to middle the ball quite often. Whether he’s facing pace bowling, spin bowling, off the front or back foot, the ball hits the middle of his bat quite a lot. He’s got some really good and sound basics and a pretty fearless intent, which is great to see,” Bobat added.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar said that opening batter Phil Salt was close to returning to action but added that the call on whether he will play IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans was yet to be taken.

The Englishman had left for the U.K. after suffering a finger injury in the game against Delhi Capitals on April 18. Salt was set to rejoin the squad ahead of the playoffs but he was not present during practice on the eve of the game. “Salt is fit. He is under observation. He has been participating in a few drills but we haven’t decided on our playing XI yet. We will look at the pitch and decide,” Patidar told reporters on Monday (May 25, 2026).

Jacob Bethell deputised for his compatriot before he was ruled out due to a left ring-finger injury. Venkatesh Iyer opened the batting in Bethell’s absence and contributed a rapid 44 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He had also filled in for Patidar in the middle-order during the contest against Punjab Kings. Patidar hailed Venkatesh’s versatility with the bat, which has allowed the team to slot him in at any spot.

“I have known Venky since childhood. He has a great attitude and is ready to bat anywhere in the order. He was a main player at Kolkata Knight Riders but when he came here, he didn’t get a lot of chances in the beginning. He accepted that and ensured he was prepared when the chance came to cash in,” the captain said.