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

Dharamshala. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans are set to clash in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 on Tuesday. This match will be held in Dharamshala. The winning team will directly reach the final. However, there is an 80 percent chance of rain today. The team that wins this match will have a higher chance of becoming champion. Since the playoff system started in 2011, the team that wins Qualifier 1 has won the final 12 out of 15 times.

Head to Head

In head-to-head records, Bengaluru and Gujarat are at par. So far, 8 IPL matches have been played between these two. Of these, Bengaluru has won 4 and Gujarat has won 4. No match has ended in a draw or been inconclusive. In this season, both teams have faced each other twice and both have won one match each. In the last encounter, Gujarat won by 4 wickets. Before that, Bengaluru had won by 5 wickets.

• Strengths and Weaknesses

Bengaluru's batting strong, 'uncapped' foreign player weakness

Under the leadership of captain Rajat Patidar, Bengaluru has crossed the 200-run mark 8 times this season on the strength of aggressive batting. Virat Kohli is the team's highest run-scorer. He has already scored 557 runs with the help of one century and 4 half-centuries.

Apart from Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal has hit 3 and captain Patidar has hit 4 half-centuries. In Dharamshala, Venkatesh Iyer scored an unbeaten 73 against Punjab and led the team to victory. In bowling, the pair of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has strengthened the team. Bhuvi is the team's highest wicket-taker.

Jackob Bethal struggling for runs

At the start of the season, Bengaluru's middle order was aggressive. However, in the second half of the league stage, batsmen from 4 to 8 have not been able to perform. The team is facing continuous batting collapses. 'Uncapped' and foreign player Jackob Bethal is struggling to score runs.

Gujarat's fast bowling sharp, 'finisher' weak

Gujarat has reached the playoffs due to its strong bowling and excellent performance from the top order. In the second half, GT's bowling has become its biggest weapon. Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna have put a lot of pressure on the opposition batsmen.

Rabada is in the race for the 'Purple Cap' with 24 wickets, while Rashid Khan has already taken 19 wickets. The team defeated Chennai Super Kings by 89 runs in the last league match. Captain Shubman Gill (616 runs), Sai Sudharsan (638 runs) and Jos Buttler (469 runs) are in excellent form. 'Orange Cap' holder Sudharsan has already hit 7 half-centuries.

Disappointing performance from 'finisher' and lower middle order

After Sherfane Rutherford's departure, the 4 and 5 number positions have become a headache for GT. Glenn Phillips and Tom Banton have not been able to show consistency in the opportunities they have received. At the lower order, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan are under pressure to win matches. However, there has been no consistency in their performance this season.

4 Big Battles of the Match

• Kohli vs Rabada: The battle between Kohli and Rabada on Dharamshala's bouncy pitch will be important. It will be worth watching how Kohli faces Rabada in the powerplay. Rabada has dismissed Virat 4 times.
• Salt vs Siraj: Phil Salt, returning from injury, will strengthen Bengaluru's batting lineup. He will face Mohammed Siraj. Siraj has dismissed him twice.
• Gill vs Bhuvneshwar: Bhuvneshwar Kumar will test Shubman Gill with his swing. He has sent Gill back to the pavilion 5 times.
• Rashid vs Patidar: Rajat Patidar plays spin well. But today he will face Rashid Khan. Rashid has already taken 19 wickets this season.

Who to watch out for

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada are the two highest wicket-takers in this IPL. Among Bengaluru's fast bowlers, Bhuvneshwar's economy rate is better than Rabada's. Both players have been crucial to their team's success. Bhuvneshwar has bowled 16 overs in the 'death overs'. On the other hand, Rabada, who is considered more dangerous with the new ball, has bowled only 6 overs in the death overs as he bowls three consecutive overs in the powerplay.

Both bowlers have excellent match-up records to take advantage of. Rabada has dismissed Virat Kohli 5 times in 16 innings. On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar has kept Shubman Gill under pressure. Bhuvneshwar's average against Gill is only 16, while his strike rate is 106.7. If Rabada can provide early wickets to GT, Bengaluru's middle order will have to face Rashid Khan. Rashid's performance against the middle order is excellent. Similarly, if Bhuvneshwar provides early success, Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar will find it difficult to play freely.

Weather and Pitch Report

Plenty of runs have been scored at the HPCA ground this year. In 6 innings of 3 matches played here, 5 have seen scores of 200 or more. In all three matches, the team that won the toss chose to bowl first and chased the target.

There is an 80 percent chance of rain in Dharamshala on Tuesday. If Qualifier 1 is canceled due to rain, Bengaluru will reach the final without playing. Bengaluru was at the top of the points table after the end of the league stage.

Phil Salt battling against time

Bengaluru has used the fewest players in this IPL. This indicates that the team is fully balanced. If Phil Salt had not been injured, this number could have been even lower. Salt has now returned to India and is battling against time to be ready for the playoffs.

If he is unable to play, the chances of playing Jacob Duffy in place of Suyash Sharma will increase. This IPL has not been very good for Suyash. Also, in night games in Dharamshala, spinners might find it difficult. In fact, in the only full match played in Dharamshala this season, spinners were not used at all.

Despite getting limited opportunities, Venkatesh Iyer has proven himself. However, if Phil Salt is fully fit, he is almost certain to open.

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Probable-12): 1. Virat Kohli, 2. Phil Salt/Venkatesh Iyer, 3. Devdutt Padikkal, 4. Rajat Patidar (Captain), 5. Jitesh Sharma, 6. Romario Shepherd, 7. Tim David, 8. Krunal Pandya, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Jacob Duffy/Suyash Sharma, 11. Josh Hazlewood, 12. Rasikh Salam.

Gujarat has also not made many changes to its players. By continuing Nishant Sindhu as an additional batsman, they seem to have fixed their first-choice 11 players. Their only dilemma is with the 'impact player'. A decision is yet to be made on whether to play Prasidh Krishna as an additional fast bowler or to field Ar Sai Kishore or Manav Suthar as an additional spinner.

• Gujarat Titans (Probable-12): 1. Shubman Gill (Captain), 2. B Sai Sudharsan, 3. Jos Buttler (Wicketkeeper), 4. Washington Sundar, 5. Jason Holder, 6. Rahul Tewatia, 7. Nishant Sindhu, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Arshad Khan, 10. Kagiso Rabada, 11. Mohammed Siraj, 12. Prasidh Krishna/R Sai Kishore/Manav Suthar.

Statistics and Interesting Information

• Since joining the IPL in 2022, Gujarat has not played a single match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
• The journey of the team that loses Qualifier 1 will be very busy. They will have to travel from Dharamshala to New Chandigarh to play Qualifier 2 after three days. If they win that match, they will have to travel a long distance from New Chandigarh to Ahmedabad to play the final with only one day's gap.
• Both these teams are among the top three teams that bowl well in the powerplay. GT has taken 30 wickets in the powerplay at an average of 24.53 and an economy rate of 8.76. Bengaluru is not far behind. It has taken 28 wickets at an average of 28.50 and an economy rate of 9.50.
• The head-to-head record between these two teams is tied at 4-4. They are going to face each other in the playoffs for the first time.
• Rashid Khan had taken a total of 19 wickets in the last two IPLs. This year, he has already taken 19 wickets with at least two matches remaining.