DHARAMSALA, India (AP) — Rajat Patidar hit 93 not out off 33 balls as defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru reached the Indian Premier League final by beating Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday.

The skipper smashed nine sixes and five fours in powering Bengaluru to the highest-ever total in IPL knockouts — 254-5 in 20 overs. Virat Kohli scored 43 off 25 balls, and Krunal Pandya added 43 off 28.

In reply, Gujarat was bowled out for 162 runs in 19.3 overs as Jacob Duffy picked 3-39 in four overs. Rasikh Salam Dar took 2-24, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-28) and Pandya (2-16) also picked a brace each.

Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad will be Bengaluru’s second straight and fifth in total. It awaits the winner of Qualifier 2.

Only two teams have won back-to-back IPL titles: Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011; and Mumbai Indians in 2019 and 2020.

On Wednesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad will play Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator at New Chandigarh. Gujarat will play the winner in Qualifier 2, at the same venue on Friday.

Put into bat, Bengaluru lost opener Venkatesh Iyer (19) cheaply. Kohli hit five fours and a six, adding 72 off 38 balls with Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 30 off 19 balls.

Jason Holder (2-39) then struck twice in three balls — first, Kohli was out bowled and then Padikkal was out caught as Bengaluru was down to 94-3 in 8.4 overs.

Gujarat could have gained further advantage, but Patidar was dropped on 20 in the 14th over.

He didn’t look back thereafter, racing to 50 off 21 balls with five sixes. He accelerated further, scoring the next 43 off 12 balls with another four sixes.

Patidar and Pandya put on 95 off 45 balls, as Bengaluru crossed 200 in the 17th over. The last 54 runs came off 20 balls as Gujarat was blown away.

The previous highest in IPL knockouts was Gujarat’s 233-3 against Mumbai in the 2023 Qualifier 2.

In response Tuesday, Gujarat started poorly — Sai Sudharsan was out hit wicket, losing grip of his bat which fell onto his stumps. He made 14 and was out off Duffy in the third over.

Four balls later, in the fourth, Kumar bowled captain Shubman Gill for 2. Jos Buttler fought back with 29 off 11 balls, with two sixes, but Gujarat then lost three wickets in six balls to slip further — 51-5 in 5.4 overs.

Josh Hazlewood bowled Buttler in the fifth over, and then Dar struck twice in the final powerplay over, removing Nishant Sindhu (5) and Jason Holder (0).

Gujarat was further down to 88-8 with Duffy picking another two wickets — Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan.

Impact sub Rahul Tewatia fought a lonely battle with 68 off 43 balls, his highest IPL score, but there was not much left in the chase after Gujarat’s initial collapse.

It was the second-biggest margin of victory (by runs) in IPL knockouts.

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