Shubman Gill admitted Gujarat Titans’ poor fielding and dropped catches proved costly in their crushing 92-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1.
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill pointed fingers at his side’s poor fielding effort after their crushing 92-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 at Dharamsala.
GT opted to bowl first after winning the toss and initially managed to keep RCB under control during the middle overs. However, the momentum completely shifted after multiple missed opportunities in the field allowed Rajat Patidar to launch a brutal assault late in the innings.
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Rajat Patidar Punishes GT After Crucial Drop Chance
The biggest turning point came in the 14th over when Kagiso Rabada dropped Rajat Patidar off Prasidh Krishna. Patidar was batting on 21 off just 13 deliveries at that stage, with RCB placed at 140/3 after 14 overs.
The RCB skipper capitalised fully on the lifeline and unleashed carnage during the death overs. Patidar eventually finished unbeaten on 93 runs off just 33 balls as Bengaluru smashed 114 runs in the final six overs to post a mammoth 254/5.
After the game, Gill admitted Gujarat’s fielding standards were far below expectations.
“I think we were going pretty well up until the 12th, 13th over, you know,”
“And I don’t think our fielding was at par, dropping a couple of catches and then our ground fielding was not up to the mark.”
Gujarat Titans Collapse Under Pressure During Chase
The Titans never truly recovered during the chase after suffering a disastrous top-order collapse. GT lost five wickets inside the powerplay and were reduced to 88/8 within 12 overs.
Rahul Tewatia fought hard with a late half-century, scoring 68 runs off 43 balls, but lacked support from the other end as GT were bowled out for 162 in 19.3 overs.
Gill admitted the team failed to handle the pressure moments during the contest.
“Under pressure situations, we were not up to the mark,”
“If you get a good powerplay and on a ground like this, you know, we know the ball travels and the outfield is also very quick… So, if you would have gotten off to a good start in the powerplay, you know, any target with the kind of way the wicket was playing and the kind of ground that we were playing at, it could have been chaseable.”
Gujarat Titans Get Another Shot At IPL 2026 Final
Despite the heavy defeat, Gujarat Titans are still alive in the tournament and will now prepare for Qualifier 2 on May 29 in New Chandigarh.
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GT will face the winner of the Eliminator clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals for a place in the IPL 2026 Final.
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