Rajat Patidar walks the talk with a six-hitting masterclass in Dharamsala

TimesofIndia.com successful Dharamsala: On the eve of IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 against the Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar said that 1 cognition helium wanted to alteration astir himself was that helium prefers playing spinners; instead, helium believes his crippled suits accelerated bowlers more."I person dominated the accelerated bowlers much this year. There is simply a cognition astir maine that I play spinners better. But if idiosyncratic asks me, I ever accidental that I similar accelerated bowlers," helium had said.

And the numbers bash not lie. Patidar has deed 41 sixes successful this year's IPL, with 27 of them coming against accelerated bowlers. He's scored 486 runs successful 14 matches, but the numbers bash not afloat seizure the interaction helium has created. Batting astatine No. 4, helium has deed 5 fifties and scored astatine a onslaught complaint of 196.76.On Tuesday evening, earlier the laser amusement lit up the picturesque HPCA Stadium successful Dharamsala, it was Patidar who acceptable the signifier connected fire. The 32-year-old produced 1 of the astir electrifying knocks of the season, hammering a spectacular 93 disconnected 33 deliveries. It was an innings built connected timing and relentless intent. He smoked 9 towering sixes, with 7 of them coming against pacers. Among them, the standout was an bonzer deed disconnected Kagiso Rabada successful the seventh over.

The right-hander rocked backmost and effortlessly deed a good-length transportation implicit covers for a maximum. It was a changeable that perfectly summed up the assurance and authorization with which helium batted.

Patidar’s innings did not detonate immediately. He initially worked his mode successful with measured singles and quiescent accumulation, rotating onslaught portion allowing the innings to settle. At that stage, RCB had mislaid 2 acceptable batters successful Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli successful speedy succession.

Patidar’s attack was 1 of patience alternatively than contiguous aggression.His archetypal important connection arrived successful the 11th implicit erstwhile Jason Holder dropped abbreviated and Patidar rapidly transferred his value onto the backmost foot, pulling the shot heavy into the stands implicit mid-wicket. The changeable not lone brought up RCB’s 100 but besides released unit that had been building.There were moments of luck too. Against Prasidh Krishna successful the 12th over, an attempted large changeable produced an wrong borderline that flew past Jos Buttler, bringing a bye.

Soon after, Patidar survived a immense scare erstwhile a starring borderline ballooned precocious implicit the wicketkeeper’s caput and landed safely betwixt the converging fielders. A propulsion changeable successful the aforesaid implicit astir ended his innings but Rabada enactment down a straightforward accidental successful the deep.

Those moments proved costly for GT.Patidar began accelerating rapidly successful the 15th implicit against Kulwant Khejroliya. A mistimed lofted changeable reached the ropes earlier helium followed it with a stylish six implicit agelong leg, utilizing the space of the transportation brilliantly.

He finished the implicit by clearing the ropes again and past uncovering the boundary, collecting 28 runs successful a momentum-shifting implicit that firmly swung the contest.The spinners recovered nary alleviation either.Rashid Khan, usually 1 of the toughest bowlers to dominate, became Patidar’s adjacent target. A somewhat abbreviated transportation disappeared implicit long-on earlier Patidar ended the implicit with a magnificent inside-out six implicit cover, dancing with the rotation and hitting with implicit freedom.The battle intensified against Rabada. Patidar brought up a blazing 50 disconnected conscionable 21 balls with a brutal propulsion implicit heavy mid-wicket and past instantly followed it with that stunning back-foot thrust implicit cover. Few batters effort specified a changeable against precocious pace; adjacent less execute it truthful cleanly.

By this stage, Patidar looked unstoppable.Mohammed Siraj suffered next. A wide afloat flip was sliced implicit backward constituent for six earlier different over-pitched transportation was launched for four.

Patidar had entered a signifier wherever astir each scoring accidental became a boundary.Prasidh Krishna, successful the past implicit of RCB's innings, felt the afloat unit of Patidar’s finishing assault. A afloat flip connected the hips disappeared implicit backward quadrate limb for six. Another monolithic deed consecutive backmost implicit the bowler pushed him into the nineties.Patidar changed the gait of the innings astir single-handedly. He survived pressure, rode his luck, and past dismantled some gait and rotation with adjacent authority. His 93 was much than conscionable a postulation of runs; it was an accumulation of fearless batting.