Watch: Virat Kohli can't hide his reaction as Rajat Patidar smashes six over covers in RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Qualifier 1
Virat Kohli's reaction on Rajat Patidar's huge six over the covers during the first qualifier of the IPL 2026 in Dharamsala which could be the shot of the tournament.
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During the 17th over of the innings during the clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in Dharamsala from the first qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Rajat Patidar played one of the best shots of the competition.
The Bengaluru franchise started in an aggressive approach and continued the onslaught throughout the 20 overs. Their captain led the charge with a fine knock of unbeaten 93 runs off 33 balls at a strike rate of 281.82 as they finished with 254/5 in their allotted 20 overs.
Is Rajat Patidar's six over covers the shot of IPL 2026 Qualifier 1? Virat Kohli watches in awe as RCB light up Dharamsala
On the very first delivery of the innings, Kagiso Rabada sent back Krunal Pandya for 43 runs as Tim David marked his way into the middle. The right-handed batter soon gave the single to the RCB captain, Rajat Patidar, who was in a different mood in the evening.
Watch Virat Kohli's reaction here-
Patidar picked the back of a length delivery from the South Africa pacer. He leaned across, got on the top of the bounce and pummeled the pull over the deep mid-wicket region for a huge six. But what he did on the very next delivery was a sight to watch and could be in the audition of being the shot of the tournament.
See Also: Watch: Rajat Patidar smashes Mohammed Shami for successive sixes during RCB vs LSG clash in IPL 2026
On the fourth delivery, the India star stayed on the back foot and powered the drive over the cover region for a sweet timing as the ball sailed into the crowd for a huge six. Virat Kohli was shocked at the shot as his reaction went viral around the social media platforms.
Did Patidar's 93 off 33 balls in RCB vs GT Qualifier 1 set the Internet on fire — or just Virat Kohli's dugout?
Since his arrival at the crease, Patidar was on a different form during the first qualifier of the IPL 2026 as he pulled the short ball from Jason Holder over the deep mid-wicket region for a huge six before collecting four boundaries and one six in the 15th over of the innings to celebrate his half-century off just 21 balls.
It was nothing before what he did next. The right-handed India batter ended up with 93 runs off 33 balls, which meant he clubbed his last 12 balls for 43 runs. His entire knock was decorated with five boundaries and nine over boundaries at a strike rate of 281.82.
See Also: Watch: Shubman Gill's spectacular catch dismisses Venkatesh Iyer in RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Qualifier 1
Patidar has now smashed 486 runs in 13 innings of the IPL 2026 at an average of 44.18 and a strike rate of nearly 197 with five half-centuries. In the chase, Gujarat lost Sai Sudharsan in an unfortunate way as Bengaluru tasted early success with the ball.
Shot of the tournament? Fans are already saying Yes — Patidar's six over covers sends RCB vs GT Qualifier 1 viral
Fans have praised the six over the covers of Patidar during the RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 and wondered if that was the shot of the tournament-
Follow live RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 scorecard
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