Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) qualified for the IPL 2026 playoffs as the top-placed side in the league phase. Rajat Patidar and his side displayed aggressive cricket right throughout the season, not just with the bat but also with the ball. The defending champions will be pleased to have Phil Salt back in the side. Salt had gone back home to assess his injury, but his return will give the side huge confidence.

Gujarat Titans (GT), led by Shubman Gill, have shown that they have to be taken seriously as contenders for the title. Batting of Sai Sudharsan has been a huge positive for the team, as well as the bowling of Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj with the new ball. Rashid Khan and Jos Buttler’s return to form for the key phase of the tournament also augurs well for the side that has been playing consistent cricket over the past few weeks.

Details of the RCB vs GT Match

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans, Qualifier 1

Date and Time: 26th May, 7.30 PM

Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports network channels and JioHotstar App and Website

Himachal Cricket Association Cricket Stadium, Pitch Report

This venue has hosted three games this season, with two of them being day and night games. In both those games, the team batting second has gone on to win with relative ease. RCB have already won at this venue when they beat Punjab Kings by 23 runs, but that was an afternoon game. Pace bowlers will get good swing early in the game, but the nature of the wicket and the fast outfield suggest that yet another high-scoring game is on the cards. The captain winning the toss will not hesitate in opting to bowl first and chasing down the score in the second half, where batting becomes easier.

RCB vs GT: Head-to-Head

Matches –8

RCB – 4

GT- 4

RCB vs GT: Predicted playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Impact player –Rasikh Salam Dar

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

Impact player – Prasidh Krishna

RCB vs GT: Predicted best performers of the match

Best batter – Sai Sudharsan

Batting sensation Sai Sudharsan is leading the run-scoring charts this season with 638 runs from 14 games with an average of 49 and a strike-rate of 157. The 24-year-old has scored fifties in each of his last five games and been a solid batter at the top of the order. Gujarat will hope the batter can continue his amazing form with the bat against RCB and help them win the first qualifier game and take the side to the finals to be played in their own backyard this Sunday.

Best bowler – Bhuvneshwar Kumar

India’s veteran pacer is tied on top for the most wickets taken this season, with Kagiso Rabada ahead of the playoffs. Kumar has been at his best with the new ball, and the conditions in Dharamsala will suit his style of bowling, where there will be lots of swing. Apart from his ability to take wickets in the powerplay phase, the 36-year-old is also more than capable of doing well in the death overs with his slower balls and effective yorkers.

Who will win the RCB vs GT Qualifier 1 match of IPL 2026?

Both sides have played eight times against each other, and there is nothing much to separate them. With the return of Phil Salt as well as the bowling form of Bhuvneshwar and Josh Hazlewood, the defending champions will pose a huge threat to the Titans on Tuesday night. Considering the overall composition and form shown this season, RCB will be the heavily favoured side to win the first qualifier and reach the finals.