The BCCI have no provision of Reserve Day in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday.
Updated: May 26, 2026 2:55 PM IST
RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans are heading into the IPL 2026 Playoffs with impeccable records after the league stages. Both RCB and GT have managed to secure 18 points each and finished in the top two positions on the Points Table thanks to their superior net run-rate. The two sides will face off in the Qualifier 1 match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday.
While the venue in Dharamshala might be one of the most picturesque one in international cricket, but there is always the possibility of rain interrupting the match at this venue. The stadium is situated nearly 1500m above sea level, surrounded by hills in Himachal Pradesh and rain or wet weather is never too far away.
Both RCB and GT will have to keep one eye on the sky above as the BCCI have not kept any provision of Reserve Day for matches in the Playoffs apart from the final. Punjab Kings have already paid the price of having their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens last month after failing to qualify for the Playoffs by just one point.
In what will be good news for cricket fans, the weather prediction for Dharamshala look clear for Tuesday evening. The temperature in the evening will be about 22 degrees Celsius, a pleasant change from the blazing head in some of the other venues.
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The humidity level is only predicted to be around 20 per cent with around 1 per cent cloud cover over Dharamshala. According to the predictions, there is no possibility of rain or wet weather at the moment.
Check Dharamshala weather update for IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 match between RCB and GT HERE…
Dharamshala weather update for Tuesday.
There is, however, a slight chance of rain at the venue around 5pm in the evening, a couple of hours before toss time at 7pm IST. If it proves to be a heavy downpour then we could have a delayed toss at the venue.
The pitch at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala has been kind to the batters so far this season. RCB won the only match batting first at this venue this year but it was a day game, unlike this Qualifier 1.
Teams batting second like Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians have managed to easily chase down 200-plus totals at Dharamshala. The pitch has tended to be a bit slower and there is always some movement for the pace bowlers at this venue.
What is cut-off time for starting Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026?
The BCCI have kept provision of extending play by two hours as compared to one hour for league stage matches. In the absence of Reserve Day in Playoff games, both teams need to play at least 5 overs each for it to constitute a match.
If a minimum of five overs are not possible in the match, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be declared winners in this match and go through to the IPL 2026 final on Sunday on basis of ending up higher than Gujarat Titans on the Points Table after the league stages.
The cut-off time for starting a 5-overs-a-side match in the IPL 2026 Playoffs will be 1150pm IST thanks to extension of couple of hours provided by BCCI.
