‘I’d like to forget’: Shubman Gill admits Gujarat Titans vs RCB nightmare in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1

Shubman Gill (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: A night to forget. That’s exactly how Shubman Gill summed up Gujarat Titans’ crushing defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday. Gill’s decision to bowl first backfired as defending champions RCB amassed a massive 254/5 in 20 overs – the highest total ever recorded in IPL playoff history.Things only got worse for Gujarat Titans during the chase as they failed to mount any serious challenge and were eventually bowled out for 162.The disappointment was clear on Gill’s face during the post-match presentation as the GT skipper admitted his side will be looking to bounce back quickly from the heavy defeat before heading into the all-important Qualifier 2.“(Surprised by how the field handled?) Well, not really. I think we had a pretty good lead going into the 12th, 13th and I don’t think our field was up to par, we dropped a couple of catches and then our field on the ground wasn’t up to par,” Gill said.“(There’s a lot of learning from this game for you as well?) Yeah, sure, you know, this is, like you said, one of those games that we’d like to forget and start again in Mohali,” he said.With an emphatic win, RCB sealed a direct spot in the IPL 2026 final.However, Gujarat Titans still remain alive in the tournament and will now travel to Mullanpur for Qualifier 2 to face the winner of the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.RCB captain Rajat Patidar completely changed the game during the first innings after being dropped twice by the Gujarat fielders. The RCB skipper made GT pay dearly, attacking almost every bowler he faced and racing to a half-century in just 21 balls.GT also endured a poor outing in the field, leaking crucial runs through misfields and no balls at key moments.Patidar remained unbeaten with a sensational 93 off just 39 balls, smashing five fours and nine towering sixes in one of the greatest playoff knocks in IPL history.Chasing 255, Gujarat Titans never recovered after losing wickets at regular intervals. New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy played the ball for RCB and claimed three wickets while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam and Krunal Pandya chipped in with two wickets each.“(Is it (fielding errors) something you’re going to address in training?) No, it’s definitely something we address in team meetings and also in training. But like I said, I don’t think it was the day, the intensity was there but we weren’t up to it under pressure,” Gill said.“(Were you sure you went out to bat in the chase?) I mean, it’s all about a good start, you know. If you have a good power play and on a ground like that, we know the ball travels and the outfield is very quick as well. So if you get off to a good start in the power play, any goal with the kind of wicket we played and the kind of ground we played.GT’s innings also witnessed one of the unluckiest dismissals of the tournament when opener Sai Sudharsan was given a bizarre wicket.Sudharsan started aggressively with two boundaries off the first two balls against Duffy and looked set for a big innings before disaster struck. While attempting a cutting shot, the bat slipped from his hands and hit the stumps as he started to run.“(On Sudharsan’s dismissal) Yeah, I mean you don’t see dismissals like that very often. So it was very unfortunate,” Gill said.