Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans will face off in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 season at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday.
Published: May 25, 2026 4:00 PM IST
RCB vs GT IPL 2026: Two of the best sides after the IPL 2026 league stages – Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans – will face off in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday. On the one hand, we have the defending champions RCB while on the other there is GT – in red-hot form in the second half of the season.
RCB and GT will bank heavily on their two star batters – Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill respectively – as they aim to book their berth in Sunday’s IPL 2026 final. Gill is the second-highest run-getter in IPL 2026 so far with 616 runs in just 13 matches with 6 fifties to his name at a strike-rate of 161.6. While veteran Kohli has notched up 557 runs in 14 matches at a strike-rate of 163.8 with 1 century and 4 fifties.
Also Read | IPL 2026 Playoffs: Full schedule, top 4 teams, match dates and venues
Former New Zealand pacer turned commentator Simon Doull believes that the battle between Kohli and Gill could decide the fate of Qualifier 1. Star Sports show ‘Amul Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Simon Doull shared his views about who will have the upper hand in Qualifier 1 between RCB and GT.
“Whoever wins the Powerplay in the first innings will go on to win the match. That is my belief. Both GT and RCB have strong batting lineups and quality bowling attacks. This is going to be a tight contest. Both teams are in great form and carrying winning momentum into the playoffs. Each side has match-winners who can change the game in a matter of overs. One team has Virat Kohli, the other has Shubman Gill. Both are in red-hot form.
“If the openers can get through the first six overs without much damage and put up 60 or 70 runs, it puts the opposition under immediate pressure. In big games, early momentum is everything. The battle between Kohli and Gill could decide the outcome. Whichever batter scores more runs and stays longer at the crease will likely take his team through. In playoff cricket, it often comes down to which superstar steps up when it matters most,” Doull said on Star Sports.
Defending champions RCB will have to look at their opening batting combination. Regular opener Phil Salt from England has been out of action for more than three and a half weeks with a finger injury.
Doull believes RCB are likely to stick with all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer as opening partner of Kohli. “I would stick with Venkatesh Iyer as the opener alongside Virat Kohli. Phil Salt has been out for three and a half weeks. Coming back from a long layoff, especially with a finger injury, is never easy. He is a quality player and has done well for RCB and England in T20s, but match fitness and shot-timing take time to return. The playoffs are not the place to test that. Venkatesh has looked good in the last two games. He played well against SRH and was also good against Punjab. He has struck a solid rhythm at the top with Kohli.
“Yes, Salt has a stronger partnership record with Virat, but in cricket, you always go with the player in form. Form matters more than reputation, especially in knockout games. The biggest risk is bringing in someone who hasn’t played competitive cricket for weeks. I would continue with Venkatesh at the top. Phil Salt is too good an option to have on the bench, but right now, Venkatesh deserves to keep his place,” Doull felt.
On Delhi Capitals win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the final league game of IPL 2026, Doull said, “It was a mix of poor batting from KKR and good bowling by DC. KKR started the chase well, but losing wickets at regular intervals broke their momentum. Also, the result of the Mumbai Indians game before this match took some edge off the contest. In a chase of 200, you forget how tough it really is. Everything has to fall in place. The game turned when Kuldeep Yadav struck twice in quick succession. Once new batters walked in, Kuldeep looked like a different bowler. That spell was the turning point. His ability to pick wickets in the middle overs is priceless. Those wickets in the middle phase choked the run flow and put the Kolkata Knight Riders under immense pressure.
“Kuldeep varied his pace smartly, bowled googlies at the right time, and didn’t let any batter settle. He targeted the stumps and forced mistakes. That is what quality spinners do in such situations. And Mitchell Starc’s catch to dismiss Manish Pandey was just as vital. In tight games, those moments separate the winners from the losers. Fielding efforts like that lift the entire team. Delhi Capitals held their nerve, while KKR’s middle order failed to build any partnership,” the former NZ pacer added.
