IPL 2026, Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Match Preview

Published - 25 May 2026, 10:57 IST | Updated - 25 May 2026, 11:23 IST

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) square off against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday, May 26.

RCB finished top of the table with nine wins and five defeats from 14 matches. While the Titans also had an identical win-loss record, their net run rate of 0.695 was lower than RCB's 0.783. Therefore, the defending champions sealed the top spot.

RCB and GT met each other twice this season. Both teams won their respective home game with consummate ease. Both RCB and GT have some in-form batters as well as bowlers. However, in the spin-bowling department, Gujarat have a genuine match-winner in Rashid Khan.

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala has hosted three matches so far in IPL 2026. The average first-innings score has been around 211. Two out of the three games have been won by chasing teams. The captain who wins the toss would want to bowl first as defending totals can be difficult on a high-scoring surface.

Venkatesh Iyer/Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar.

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj.