RCB Script History. Achieve Never-Done-Before IPL Feat Despite Rajasthan Royals Defeat
Royal Challengers Bengaluru scripted history despite suffering a six-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2026 encounter on Friday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru scripted history despite suffering a six-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2026 encounter on Friday. The defending champions were completely outplayed as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi slammed 78 off 26 deliveries to guide his team to a brilliant win. However, there was some positive for RCB as they bounced back from 94/6 to post a competitive total of 202. Skipper Rajat Patidar slammed a half-century and was able to stitch together significant partnerships with Romario Shepherd and Venkatesh Iyer. As a result, RCB became the first team ever in the history of the IPL to reach the 200-run mark despite losing their first six wickets for less than 100. Previously, the highest team total after losing the first six wickets within 100 belonged to Punjab Kings, who scored 183 against Mumbai Indians in 2024.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's batting coach and team mentor Dinesh Karthik praised the team's character and resilience following their first away fixture of the season against Rajasthan Royals, where the side went down by six wickets.
"It's important to understand that in a tournament like the IPL, it's a marathon; you're not going to win every game. But if the team keeps showing character, keeps fighting, that's how you excel," said Karthik.
Karthik pointed out that the surface was not the easiest to bat on, making the team's total an impressive effort.
"I felt the pitch was not that easy to bat on. It wasn't really coming on, and Dev's dismissal just showed that the pitch was sticking. In spite of all the challenges that we had, to get to the score that we did was a wonderful effort."
Karthik reserved special praise for Rajat Patidar, highlighting both his shot-making and temperament.
"Rajat Patidar was special. It's great to see him play so well, not just in terms of shot-making but also in understanding the situation of the game. The way he made sure he was there almost right till the end shows his character. We are very happy as a group to see how well he reacted to that tough situation."
(With ANI inputs)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Rajasthan Royals