Rajat Patidar supported his fast bowlers ahead of the Royal Challengers vs Gujarat Titans (RCB vs GT) Qualifier 1 match of the ongoing IPL 2026 season. The RCB captain claims that their main strength is their bowling attack.
With the new ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has performed brilliantly for Royal Challengers Bangalore, taking 24 wickets in 14 matches so far this season. Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has also made an important contribution for RCB this season.
Rajat Patidar praised his bowling department
In the pre-match press conference in Himachal Pradesh, Rajat Patidar said that he will continue to attack with the ball from the beginning of the innings. His main priority will be to take the top wickets of Gujarat Titans as soon as possible.
“Our strength is bowling… the way we bowl in the power play, I think, will be very important. Everyone in the team knows we are not here to defend; we are here with an attacking mindset. We will try to take early wickets. That is what we have done so far,” Rajat Patidar told reporters.
Rajat Patidar said, “Doing the same thing again and again I think will make a difference. That’s what Bhuvi, Hazlewood and Rasikh (Salaam) are doing. We hope to continue the same process.”
RCB fast bowlers vs top order batsmen in IPL 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken 9 opener wickets in his season so far. The 36-year-old dismissed 1scheduled tribe Position batted only five times at an average of 1.8. Sai Sudarshan, one of GT’s most reliable batsmen, also lost his wicket cheaply against this fast bowler. Pathum Nissanka, Sahil Parakh, Sudarshan, Ryan Rickelton and Priyansh Arya were among the openers who were dismissed by Kumar in the early stages of the innings. Batting second in the order, GT captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Finn Allen and Prabhsimran Singh have been cautious against the RCB fast bowlers this season.
However, the team’s other star pacer Josh Hazlewood’s IPL 2026 stats are not as impressive compared to Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling stats. The Australian star has taken 12 wickets in 11 matches so far. At an expensive average, Hazlewood has dismissed 5 openers so far this season.
Rasikh Salam, another RCB fast bowler, has better overall stats than Josh Hozlawoon so far. The uncapped Indian seamer has taken 14 wickets in 10 matches so far. Aiden Markram and Travis Head were the two batsmen who lost their wickets against Salam. Nicholas Pooran, Ishan Kishan and Naman Dheer, who mostly bat at number three, went on the attack against the RCB fast bowler.
Bengaluru will get advantage by defeating GT
If Bengaluru manages to win tonight then it will directly enter the finals. The final match will be held on May 31, which means defeating GT could also give Bengaluru a few extra days for a recovery session.
Rajat Patidar said, “Win Qualifier 1, and you will go straight ahead. But to be honest, it has not really been discussed in our camp. Right from the beginning of the season, our focus has just been on winning every game. If we win here, the team will get a good break before the final, which is important, and I think everyone is looking forward to it.”
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