RCB chairman Aryaman Birla celebrates former MP Rajat Patidar's heroics in Qualifier 1

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chairman Aryaman Birla shared a heartwarming story on social media for former Madhya Pradesh teammate and current RCB captain Rajat Patidar after his breathtaking knock in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Aryaman reposted visuals of Patidar’s cela bjatha knock on Instagram powering RCB to a second straight IPL final.

Patidar produced one of the best innings of the season in Dharamshalahe smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls at a strike rate of over 281. His brutal attack helped RCB post 254 for 5, the highest total in the history of the IPL playoffs, against the defending champions. Gujarat Titans were bowled out for 162 in a crushing 92-run defeat.

Qualifier 1, RCB vs GT: Highlighting | Scorecard

Aryaman Birla enjoyed Rajat Patidar’s Dharamsala special from the best place. (Photo: Instagram)

FROM MP FELLOWS TO RCB LEADER

Long before Aryaman Birla became the chairman of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Patidar developed into the IPL-winning captain of the franchise, the two shared the dressing room in Madhya Pradesh cricket.

Son of industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aryaman took up professional cricket seriously during his younger years and represented Madhya Pradesh from 2017 to 2019. During this phase, he regularly played alongside Patidar in the MP line-up, with the duo even opening the batting together on several occasions.

Patidar, meanwhile, has gradually become one of Madhya Pradesh’s most reliable domestic batsmen. His breakthrough came during the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season when he finished as MP’s top scorer with 713 runs in eight matches.

While Patidar continued to climb the domestic ladder and eventually made it in the IPL, Aryaman left professional cricket to focus on responsibilities within the Aditya Birla Group. However, his domestic tour included a first-class century against Bengal at the Eden Gardens.

Their paths crossed again in IPL 2026 after a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group acquired ownership of RCB, with Aryaman becoming the franchise chairman while Patidar was named captain before the season.

HOW PATIDAR ARMED GT IN DHARAMSHALA

Patidar came into bat with RCB on 99 for 3 in the 11th over and completely changed the dynamic of the Qualifier 1 clash. He needed just 21 deliveries to bring up his half-century before turning the death overs into a complete demolition job against the GT bowling attack.

The RCB skipper slammed five boundaries and nine sixes during his unbeaten 93, with the Gujarat bowlers putting up a nasty fight once Patidar started targeting the shorter square boundaries in Dharamshala.

RCB ended up scoring 114 runs in the last six overs of the innings, with Patidar remaining unbeaten till the very end. The total of 254 for 5 eventually became the highest score ever recorded in the history of the IPL playoffs, surpassing Gujarat Titans’ previous record of 233.

GT never recovered during the chase and were all out for 162, giving RCB a dominant 92 runs and a direct spot in the IPL 2026 final as the defending champions moved a step closer to a possible title repeat.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

27 May 2026 11:59 IST