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Royal Challengers Bengaluru will carry the quiet confidence of defending champions into Qualifier 1 when they face Gujarat Titans in a high-stakes clash at the HPCA Stadium on Tuesday. The winner goes straight to the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, while the loser will need to take the longer road to get into the title clash.
Both sides ended the league stage on 18 points from 14 matches, with RCB claiming top spot on net run rate, as a reward for being the most consistently good side across the full league stage. When RCB cruised to a chase of 206 against GT in their backyard on April 24, the Shubman Gill-led side were still a conservative side stuck in the middle of the points table.
From that point, GT have surged to be the best bowling side in the competition and now find themselves in the running to get their second IPL title.
But they run into an in-form RCB who have got a lot of things going in their favour – captain Rajat Patidar is in good nick, so as Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer and Tim David.
Consistent returns from the new-ball pairing of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with Krunal Pandya being frugal have helped RCB too.
Meanwhile, GT’s late-season surge, though, has been built on bowling. Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Prasidh Krishna have struck hard with the new ball, while Rashid Khan and Jason Holder have controlled the middle overs with quiet authority.
An 89-run hammering of Chennai Super Kings in their final league game underlined GT’s arrival as one of the most formidable sides in the tournament right now, though Tuesday’s game will be the first time they will be playing an IPL game in Dharamshala, a place which favours teams winning by chasing – as seen from the sample size of two games in this season.
The individual duels will be worth watching closely – Kohli against Rabada and Siraj on a pitch offering extra bounce, and Hazlewood bowling to Gill and Sai Sudharsan in the powerplay where GT’s top-order reliance makes those first six overs critical in deciding the first finalist of IPL 2026.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain Rajat Patidar believes execution under pressure and staying committed to the team’s strengths will be decisive when RCB face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday night.
The two sides shared the spoils in their league-stage meetings this season, with RCB claiming the first encounter by five wickets, at home, before Gujarat Titans secured a four-wicket triumph in the reverse fixture.
With a direct route to the Final on the line, Patidar believes composure could separate the two sides.
“Both teams have done really well throughout the season. On the given day, whichever team executes their plans better, plays better cricket and stays calmer under pressure, I think that team will win the match,” Patidar said.
“It’s a big stage, Qualifier 1. We must hold our nerves and be confident in whatever we are doing.” Patidar also pointed to RCB’s bowling group as one of the team’s defining strengths this season and reiterated the attacking mindset that has shaped their campaign.
“Our strength is bowling and the way we bowl in the powerplay will be very crucial,” he said.
“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.”
Patidar reserved special praise for Venkatesh Iyer who has scores of 73* and 44 in his last two outings.
Highlighting both his flexibility and attitude throughout the season, Patidar said.
“I know Venky from childhood and the way he presents himself is extraordinary. The way he plays in any given situation and his flexibility in the batting order, I really like his attitude.
“He was preparing himself even when he wasn’t getting opportunities. The work he put in during nets and the way he communicated showed he was ready, and as soon as he got the opportunity, he cashed in.”
Reflecting on his own captaincy journey, Patidar credited the support system around him and the experience available within the group.
Agencies
