RCB vs GT IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make some changes in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans with Jacob Bethell ruled out for the remaining season.
Updated: May 26, 2026 11:51 AM IST
RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers Bengaluru may once again make a change at the top of the order to partner Virat Kohli as they get ready to take on Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday. England cricketer Jacob Bethell from RCB has left the remaining season after sustaining an injury while his countrymate Phil Salt has joined the side after more than three weeks on the sidelines.
Phil Salt was seen training with the RCB team at the picturesque Dharamshala stadium but it is not clear if the defending IPL champions will risk playing him in Qualifier 1. Salt was retained for Rs 11.5 crore ahead of IPL 2026 season by RCB and scored 202 runs in 6 matches with 2 fifties at a strike-rate of 168.33 this year before getting injured.
If RCB decide against playing Salt in the Playoffs match, then all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer could continue opening the batting with Kohli. Iyer was bought for Rs 7 crore at the IPL 2026 mini auction last year and has scored 158 runs in 5 matches with 1 fifty at a strike-rate of 177.52.
“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,” JioStar expert and former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull said about Venkatesh Iyer.
Also Read | Virat Kohli vs Shubman Gill battle will decide IPL 2026 Qualifier, feels former NZ pacer Simon Doull
But RCB and GT will bank on the impressive bowling resources as they eye a berth in Sunday’s final. For RCB, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the current Purple Cap holder with 24 wickets in 14 matches while GT pacer Kagiso Rabada has also taken the same number of wickets.
“Our strength is bowling and the way we bowl in the powerplay will be very crucial. Everyone in the team knows that we are not here to defend, we are here with the mindset of attacking and we will look for early wickets. That is what Bhuvi, Hazlewood and Rasikh have been doing and we hope to continue in the same process,” RCB captain Rajat Patidar said in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
Shubman Gill’s GT have played with the least number of players throughout the season and have been lucky with injuries so far. Their only cause of concern will be picking ‘Impact Player’ which can be either pacer Prasidh Krishna or between spinners Sai Kishore and Manav Suthar.
Enjoying the view from where we belong with our GT Insider before Qualifier 1 ️ pic.twitter.com/94KupJ33Tu
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) May 25, 2026
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 match Predicted 12
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt/Venkatesh Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy/Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna/R Sai Kishore/Manav Suthar
