A place in the IPL 2026 final will be on the line when Rajasthan Royals take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday. The winner will advance to the title clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad, while the loser will be left with the nominal distinction of finishing third in a season where only the finalists are remembered.
The match will be played at the same venue that hosted the Eliminator, the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, where RR's young prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, put on a show to knock out Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Both these sides have taken contrasting routes to get to the penultimate stage of the tournament. Gujarat Titans were among the most consistent teams during the league phase, finishing second on the points table with 18 points from 14 matches and a Net Run Rate of +0.695.
However, their momentum took a hit in Qualifier 1, where they suffered a bruising 92-run defeat against RCB after conceding 254/5 and collapsing for 162 in the chase.
Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, recovered strongly after an inconsistent middle phase of the season to finish fourth with 16 points and sealed their playoff place with a crucial victory over Mumbai Indians on the final day of the league stage.
Riyan Parag's side carried that momentum into the Eliminator, comprehensively beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs after posting 243/8 in New Chandigarh.
Gujarat Titans will still be smarting from their heavy Qualifier 1 defeat against RCB, where only three batters managed double-digit scores. Rahul Tewatia fought a lone battle with 68 off 43 balls, Jos Buttler made 29 at the top, while Sai Sudharsan added 14 before his unfortunate ‘hit-wicket' dismissal.
Tewatia's resistance and Kagiso Rabada's 2/39 on a batting-friendly track were the few bright spots for GT on a difficult night in Dharamshala.
Rajasthan, meanwhile, will be riding high on confidence after 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered one of the innings of the season in the Eliminator, smashing 97 off just 29 balls with 12 sixes. Dhruv Jurel added a rapid half-century, while Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger played key roles with the ball.
Much of the spotlight will again be on GT's opening pair of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who have been among the most productive batting combinations this season. Rashid Khan's control in the middle overs will be crucial, while Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj have combined for more than 40 wickets this season.
RR, meanwhile, will rely heavily on the form of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer. Sooryavanshi is the tournament's leading run-scorer with 680 runs this season, while Archer is firmly in the Purple Cap race with 24 wickets, just two behind leaders Kagiso Rabada and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
ALSO READ: Watch: Jofra Archer Closes In On Bhuvneshwar, Rabada In IPL 2026 Purple Cap Race
GT vs RR: Head-To-Head
Gujarat Titans have historically enjoyed the upper hand in this rivalry, winning seven of the 10 meetings between the two sides. Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, have registered three victories against GT.
The two sides split their league-stage meetings in IPL 2026, with RR winning by six runs in a high-scoring encounter at Ahmedabad and GT registering a thumping 77-run victory in Jaipur. GT also defeated RR in the 2022 IPL final.
Match Details
The IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 between Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans will be played on Friday, May 29, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST.
Pitch And Weather Conditions
The Mullanpur surface has largely favoured batters this season, with the average first-innings total crossing 200. The pitch offers good bounce and carry, allowing stroke-makers to play through the line comfortably.
Fast bowlers could get some assistance with the new ball early on, but conditions generally become easier for batting as the innings progresses. Dew is also expected to play a major role in the second innings, making chasing the preferred option after winning the toss.
Weather conditions are expected to remain clear, with temperatures likely to hover between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. No rain interruptions are forecast.
RR vs GT Possible XIs
Rajasthan Royals Possible XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag (C), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja.
Gujarat Titans Possible XI: Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
RR vs GT, IPL 2026: Where To Watch IPL 2026 Qualifier 2
The IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 between Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network in India.
RR vs GT, IPL 2026 Live Streaming Details
Live streaming of the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 will be available on JioHotstar.
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