Delhi: Before the Qualifier-1 match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar has said that only the team which remains calm and implements the right strategy in pressure situations will register victory. Both Gujarat Titans (GT) and Bengaluru have performed brilliantly in the last few seasons, hence this competition is considered to be very tough.

The team that faces pressure will get the advantage

Patidar believes that there is not much difference between the two teams and the match will be decided in small moments. He said that a big match like the qualifiers tests the mental strength of the players. In such a situation, the team which will maintain composure in difficult situations and implement its plans in a better way will win.

He said that the team has to have confidence in its game and instead of getting nervous, it is important to come on the field with confidence.

Bowling became Bengaluru’s biggest strength

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling unit has played an important role in its success this season. Patidar especially praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam and said that the team’s thinking has been aggressive from the beginning.

He told that taking wickets in powerplay is the main part of the team’s strategy. The bowlers are continuously putting pressure on the batsmen and giving them initial successes and efforts will be made to continue the same attitude in the future also.

Getting help from senior players in captaincy

Regarding captaincy, Rajat Patidar said that the support of the experienced players and coaching staff present in the team is helping him a lot. He told that the experience of players like Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David and Hazlewood constantly gives him new ideas and strategies.

Patidar said that he does not believe in changing his nature. He believes that remaining calm, understanding the situation and maintaining confidence in his decisions is his biggest strength.

Patidar praised Venkatesh Iyer

Patidar also spoke openly about the team’s star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer.

Patidar said that his hard work was clearly visible in the nets. His preparation with batting coach Dinesh Karthik was quite impressive. He said that Venkatesh was always ready for the opportunity and as soon as he got the opportunity, he took full advantage of it.