IPL 2026, Match 42: Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Preview

Published - 29 Apr 2026, 12:45 IST | Updated - 29 Apr 2026, 12:45 IST

The Gujarat Titans (GT) host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 30 in Match 42 of the 2026 Indian Premier League.

The Gujarat Titans come on the back of a dominant eight-wicket victory against the Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk. They were brilliant with the ball in the powerplay, denting the Super Kings' innings early. They recorded a win after two losses to the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and have brought their season back on track.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on the other hand, are coming off a dominant nine-wicket win against Delhi Capitals, bowling them out for 75 with a masterful display of powerplay bowling from the pair of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. They have been one of the dominant teams of the season, and have a chance to jump to the top of the table with a win after the Punjab Kings' slip-up against the Rajasthan Royals.

The two teams met at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 24, with centurion Sai Sudharsan taking the Titans to a competitive 205/3 in their 20 overs. The defending champions made light work of the chase, with Virat Kohli scoring a marvellous 81 off 44 balls and Devdutt Padikkal scoring a quickfire 27-ball 55. They lost a few wickets in the back end, but were led home by the calm Krunal Pandya.

The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium has been known to favour batting teams. The wicket exhibits consistent bounce, with the ball coming onto the bat comfortably. There is enough help for the bowlers, though, with seamers getting lateral movement and spinners getting a slight bit of grip and turn. The wicket is also conducive to hit-the-deck bowling.

In the previous game, the Mumbai Indians, being put into bat first, were unable to start strongly in the powerplay, but compensated in the back end of the innings. They had the Titans bowled out for just 100 in a brilliant display of hard-length bowling. Mitchell Santner, AM Ghazanfar and Rashid Khan extracted sufficient grip off the surface as well.

Shubman Gill (capt), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj

Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Mangesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma