New Delhi: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 on Tuesday at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, with a direct place in the final at stake.
Both teams finished the league stage on 18 points, but RCB secured the top spot due to a superior net run rate. Under captain Rajat Patidar, Bengaluru have carried forward their impressive form from last season, while Gujarat Titans continue to rely heavily on the consistency of their top-order batting and disciplined bowling attack.
The head-to-head rivalry between the two franchises remains perfectly balanced, with both sides winning four matches each in their eight IPL meetings so far. RCB enter the contest with momentum after defeating GT twice during the recent league encounters.
Star batter Virat Kohli has been the leading performer in this rivalry, scoring 460 runs against Gujarat Titans. GT captain Shubman Gill also holds a memorable century against Bengaluru and remains one of the biggest threats in the qualifier.
The Dharamshala pitch is expected to provide true bounce and assistance to fast bowlers, especially under lights. A first-innings score around 180 to 195 is likely to be competitive. Cool weather conditions and possible cloud cover could further help swing bowling during the evening match.
The weather forecast predicts temperatures between 18°C and 21°C with a slight possibility of rain, although a full match is expected. A reserve day has also been scheduled if required.
Probable Playing XIs
RCB: Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar.
GT: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Prasidh Krishna.
The high-pressure clash begins at 7:30 PM IST and will be streamed live on JioHotstar and broadcast on the Star Sports Network.
