RCB vs DC, IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar cheekily mentioned at the toss about how the final will take place at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and needing to win all the games ahead of the IPL 2026 game against the Delhi Capitals on April 18, Saturday. The statement has raised some eyebrows, given the BCCI has not even announced the venues for the playoffs and the final as yet.
RCB vs DC, IPL 2026: Why Did Rajat Patidar say the final will take place at the Chinnaswamy Stadium?
For quite a few years now, the IPL has followed the tradition of awarding the final to the venue, whose team had won the previous edition. Since the Royal Challengers ended their trophy drought last year, the IPL 2026 final is likely to take place at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. But it’s worth noting that the IPL 2025 final didn’t take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata despite the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lifting the trophy in 2024. Instead, the BCCI had moved it to the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
🔴 MIC DROP STATEMENT BY RAJAT PATIDAR:🤯
“We have to win all our home games at Chinnaswamy Stadium because this year’s IPL final is in Bengaluru” 🔥
— Sam (@Cricsam01) April 18, 2026
“I feel that we were 15-20 runs short” – Rajat Patidar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar reflected on the five-wicket loss to the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, claiming that the collapse in the end meant the defending champions ended 15-20 runs short of where they wanted to be. The right-hander said at the post-game presentation:
“That was really close but I feel that we were 15-20 runs short. The way we started, especially VK bhai and Salt, they gave a good start. Then we started losing wickets and it put us on the back foot. I think the pitch was a bit tacky but I think the way we stretched the game to the last over was a positive sign for us. I was just discussing with the bowler to be clear in what you do. It’s a long tournament but we’ll go back and introspect on our errors and rectify them.”
RCB will next face the Gujarat Titans on April 24, Friday at home.
