Gujarat Titans (GT) batter Glenn Phillips was miffed at a reporter who asked him if his team had mentally given up on the chase in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Dharamsala on Tuesday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who were asked to bat first, posted a mammoth total of 254/5. Gujarat Titans failed to chase the total down after they were bowled out for 162 in 19.3 overs.
"You said that 250 is a score that can be tough to chase. Did GT give up mentally after the first innings itself?," the reporter asked. Glenn Phillips, who attended the press conference despite not playing the match, termed it as a "terrible question".
‘That’s a silly question': Glenn Phillips
“That’s a silly question. That is a really silly question. No one goes in there waiting to go, ‘Oh, you know what? We’re just going to give up on this one.’ Why would we do that as professional cricketers? That’s a terrible question," he said.
The New Zealand cricketer defended his team, stating that they give it their best. “We went out there, we gave it everything. Unfortunately, when you’re trying to chase 250, everything has to go right. And we went out there to try and make everything go right, and obviously it didn’t," he added.
Glenn Phillips has played six matches for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 and has scored 67 runs at a strike rate of 124.07.
Rajat Patidar led from the front for RCB with an unbeaten 93 runs from 33 balls, and he was supported well by Virat Kohli (43), Krunal Pandya (43) and Devdutt Padikkal (30) as RCB posted a mammoth total.
Phillips admitted that a total of 250 or more in T20s is never easy to chase. “There’s a huge amount of scoreboard pressure when you’re trying to chase 250. And, you know, very few teams have done it.
"Obviously, Punjab Kings have managed to do it a couple of times, which has been phenomenal.
"And I think they’ve maybe made it seem easier than it is. I’ve yet to be part of a team that’s gotten anywhere near 250, so, you know, sometimes it just is what it is,” the 29-year-old explained.
Gujarat Titans were off to a forgettable start to their reply as they lost five quick wickets in the powerplay. The 2022 IPL champions were restricted to 51/5 in the powerplay, before being further restricted to 88/8.
Rahul Tewatia, who scored 68 runs from 43 balls, was the only difference maker for Gujarat Titans as he hardly had anyone to support him.
Rahul, though, did forge a 68-run stand with Mohammed Siraj for the ninth wicket, but GT needed more than just one good partnership. Their top and middle-order collapse did not help them much.
While RCB have qualified for Sunday’s IPL 2026 final, Gujarat Titans will keenly observe Wednesday’s Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mullanpur. GT will take on the winner of that match in Qualifier 2 in Mullanpur on Friday.
