Gujarat Titans (GT) hopes of reaching the IPL 2026 final suffered a major setback after a crushing 92-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Chasing a mammoth 255-run target, GT struggled right from the powerplay and never truly recovered despite a fighting effort from Rahul Tewatia in the lower order.
RCB completely dominated the contest after posting the highest total in IPL playoff history, while Gujarat’s batting lineup collapsed under scoreboard pressure. However, one of the biggest talking points after the match came during the post-match press conference when GT star Glenn Phillips reacted strongly to a reporter’s question regarding the team’s approach during the chase.
Glenn Phillips slams reporter over ‘terrible question’
During the press conference, a reporter suggested that Gujarat Titans may have mentally accepted defeat after Royal Challengers Bengaluru crossed the 250-run mark. The comment immediately triggered a sharp reaction from Glenn Phillips, who strongly rejected the suggestion. The New Zealand all-rounder admitted that chasing a target above 250 in a playoff match always creates immense scoreboard pressure, especially when very few teams in IPL history have managed to pull off such run chases successfully.
“That’s a silly question. That is a really silly question. No one goes in there waiting to go, ‘Oh, you know what? We’re just going to give up on this one.’ Why would we do that as professional cricketers? That’s a terrible question. 250 any day is a tough ask to chase without everything going your way. There’s obviously a huge amount of scoreboard pressure when you’re trying to chase 250 and very few teams have done it. We went out there and gave it everything. Unfortunately, when you’re trying to chase 250, everything has to go right and obviously it didn’t,” Phillips said during the post-match press conference.
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Rajat Patidar’s blitz powered RCB to historic total
Earlier in the match, Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced a batting masterclass led by skipper Rajat Patidar. The right-hander smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls at a staggering strike rate, completely shifting momentum away from Gujarat Titans. Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya also made valuable contributions as RCB piled up 254/5 in their 20 overs, the highest score ever recorded in IPL playoff history.
Phillips later praised Patidar’s fearless approach and the way he led RCB’s batting unit from the front.
“He’s obviously a fabulous player, and when he’s on, it really doesn’t matter what anybody else is doing, does he? So you know he hits the ball clean, he knows his areas really well, and obviously, as the captain of that side as well, he has to play the way that he wants his boys to play,” Phillips said.
GT now shift focus to Qualifier 2
The huge target proved too much for Gujarat Titans despite Tewatia’s late resistance. Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler all departed cheaply as RCB’s bowling attack maintained complete control throughout the innings.
Although the loss denied GT a direct route to the final, Shubman’s side still remains alive in the tournament and will now prepare for Qualifier 2 in Mullanpur. A win there would give them another shot at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad.