Royal Challengers Bengaluru will square off against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier I of the Indian Premier League 2026 playoffs at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday.
In a rare occurrence for the IPL, the top three teams — RCB, GT and Sunrisers Hyderabad — finished the league stage with the same win-loss record. The three teams won nine matches and endured defeats in five off the 14 league matches they played. The net run rate was the differentiator. RCB's net run rate of 0.783 helped them take the top spot. Meanwhile, GT came second with a net run rate of 0.695 ahead of SRH which had a net run rate of 0.524.
RCB and GT faced each other twice during the league stage and both the games threw contrasting results. In their first clash of the season RCB chased down a daunting 206-run target with seven balls to spare in Bengaluru. The reverse fixture in Ahmedabad turned out to be a low-scoring affair, with GT comfortably defeating RCB by four wickets.
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GTs' batting this season has revolved heavily around the prolific trio of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. Sudharsan currently leads the run charts with 638 runs at an impressive average of 49.07, including seven half-centuries and a century, while skipper Gill is close behind with 616 runs at an average of 47.38, alongside six fifties.
Buttler too has played a crucial role, contributing 469 runs in a consistent campaign. While the trio has formed the backbone of GT's batting success, the team's overdependence on them has also exposed a potential vulnerability, with the middle-order often failing to make significant contributions when the top order misfires.
In bowling, Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan and Mohammed Siraj have been GT s' standout performers with the ball this season. Rabada has led the charge with 24 wickets, the joint-highest tally of the tournament alongside RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Rashid has once again been a key figure in the middle overs with 19 wickets, while Siraj has provided crucial breakthroughs at different stages of the innings, claiming 17 scalps so far.
For RCB, Virat Kohli has once again led the charge with the bat, crossing the 500-run milestone for a fourth consecutive season and providing stability at the top with his trademark consistency. The defending champions will also bolstered by the return of Phil Salt, who missed the latter half of the league stage due to a finger injury. Prior to being sidelined, the explosive English opener had scored 202 runs in six innings, including two half-centuries.
In Salt's absence, Kohli partnered Jacob Bethell at the top of the order, but the young Englishman too suffered a finger injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Devdutt Padikkal's impressive form has further bolstered RCB's batting, with the left-hander accumulating 433 runs, including three fifties.
On the bowling front, the pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam has been central to RCB's success. Hazlewood, despite joining the campaign late, has already picked up 12 wickets, while Rasikh has enjoyed a breakthrough season, claiming 14 wickets in 10 matches - the best tally of his IPL career so far.
Head-to-Head
This rivalry has been closely contested over the years, with both RCB and GT winning four matches each from their eight meetings in the IPL.
Pitch, Weather
The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted clear skies in Dharamsala for Tuesday. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 36°C while the minimum temperature will be around 19°C.
Expect a batting friendly pitch for this encounter.
Possible Playing XI
- RCB: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar (capt.), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Rashik Salam, Josh Hazlewood.
- GT: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (capt.), Jos Buttler, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj.
Match Time
The match will get underway at 7.30 p.m. Indian Standard Time.
Broadcast, Live Sreaming Details
The match will be broadcasted on the Star Sports channel and streamed on the JioHotstar app and website.
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