IPL

Captain Rajat Patidar thrashed 93 not out from just 33 balls as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru powered into the final of the 2026 Indian Premier League with a 92-run victory over Gujarat Titans.

RCB were 94-3 in the ninth over, veteran Virat Kohli out for 43, but Patidar hit nine sixes in addition to five fours to power his side to 254-5.

The total was the highest in an IPL play-off with 126 runs coming from the last seven overs.

Gujarat, who were only pipped to top spot in the league phase on net run-rate by RCB, lost key openers Sai Sudharsan and India Test captain Shubman Gill in the third and fourth overs respectively.

Sudharsan, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, was out hit wicket after his bat slipped from his hands playing a cut shot and bounced onto the stumps.

Afterwards, England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler hit four fours and two sixes but was bowled by Australia’s Josh Hazlewood for 29, continuing a sorry slide.

From 88-8, Gujarat limped on to 162 before being dismissed in the final over. Rahul Tewatia made 68 but the match was long decided.

Gujarat still have a second chance to reach Sunday’s final.

They will play the winner of Wednesday’s eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.

England and Leicestershire leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed is joining Delhi Capitals for the remainder of this year’s Indian Premier League campaign.

The 21-year-old, who has played 27 internationals for England across all formats, will leave immediately for his first taste of the IPL and will be away until at least the end of the group stages of the competition on 24 May.

Delhi are currently fifth in the standings, having won three and lost three of their six games so far.

Ahmed, who will earn £60,000, will miss the Foxes’ next four County Championship matches and at least their first two group games in the T20 Blast.

“We’re absolutely delighted for Rehan and incredibly proud as a club to see him earn this opportunity,” Leicestershire director of cricket Claude Henderson said.

“It’s a real testament to the hard work of everyone within our academy and pathway system, and exactly what we strive for.

“We’re excited to watch him go and express himself, and we’ll be right behind him every step of the way before welcoming him back to Leicester.”

Ahmed has taken six wickets and scored 56 runs across the Foxes’ first two red-ball matches this season on the club’s return to the first division of the County Championship.

India opener Abhishek Sharma hit the fifth-highest score in Indian Premier League history in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 47-run win against Delhi Capitals.

The 25-year-old left-hander, who is number one in the men’s T20 batting rankings, batted throughout the innings for 135 not out from 68 balls in the hosts’ 242-2.

He peppered the straight boundaries with powerful drives, hitting 10 sixes and 10 fours, and reached three figures in 47 deliveries.

His score has only been bettered in the IPL by West Indies great Chris Gayle (175 not out), Brendon McCullum (158 not out), Abhishek’s 141 on the same ground last year and Quinton de Kock’s 140 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022.

It was also Abhishek’s ninth T20 century, taking him joint fourth on the all-time list.

Delhi made 195-9 in reply with seamer Eshan Malinga taking 4-32.

The IPL’s influence has also led to the rise of multiple state-run T20 leagues across India, further widening the talent pool.

“Right now, there are 18 state leagues going on, with a minimum of six teams per league. Six teams, 15 players, just imagine the pool,” George says.

“In most of the state associations, sadly, the selections are not that transparent. So you see players who have not been in the state team coming up and doing very well for their respective franchises. That is why the state franchise tournaments are very important and help us identify talent.”

As a result, more players are now emerging from non-traditional centres.

“Talent in India is concentrated in places like UP, Rajasthan and Delhi,” said George. “That’s why franchises focus a lot on these leagues. UP, in particular, has a very strong league, and many players who have done well there, like Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma.

“Kashmir is another region we focus on because a lot of good fast bowlers and hard-hitters are coming from there.”

The data also reflects how the talent pool has spread across India. In the inaugural IPL in 2008, most players came from traditional centres such as Maharashtra (21), Delhi (14), Tamil Nadu (11) and Karnataka (10).

By 2026, the landscape has broadened significantly. Uttar Pradesh now matches Maharashtra with 21 players, while Rajasthan (13) and Madhya Pradesh (10) have also emerged as key contributors.

Talent from far-off regions is coming through as well. Jammu and Kashmir, which has just seen its first-class team win the Ranji Trophy for the first time in its history, has gone from zero representation in 2008 to six players in 2026, while Bihar has grown from two to six.

This expanding base of talent is reflected in India’s recent success in T20 cricket, including back-to-back World Cup titles.

“India’s talent pool is so big that you could field two strong teams, India A and India B, and both would reach the latter stages of a world tournament,” George says.

“In the last decade, almost all new Indian players have come through the IPL ecosystem. IPL is like a blessing for Indian cricket.”