RCB faces GT in IPL 2026 Qualifier-1. Instead of Kohli-Gill, the match will be decided by the bowlers. The powerplay bowling of both the teams is strong, but GT (102 wickets) has better figures than RCB (86 wickets).
New Delhi: One is ‘King’ and the other is ‘Prince’. Indian cricket fans call Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill by this name. Now Prince is ready to challenge King in Qualifier-1 of IPL 2026. Yes, the match is between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT). The face to face between these two stars will add to the glamor of the match, but the real game changer will be someone else – the bowler.
There is a saying in cricket – ‘Bowlers make you win the tournament’. This suits both Bengaluru and Gujarat teams perfectly this season. On one side, there is the pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who are supported by Suyyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya and Rasik Dhar. On the other hand, there is the lethal pair of Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, who are supported by Rashid Khan, Prasidh Krishna and Jason Holder.
These teams are the top two teams taking the most wickets in this tournament. Bengaluru has taken 86 wickets, while Gujarat has taken 102. The economy rates of both have also been 9.6 and 9.2 respectively. If we look at it on paper, Gujarat’s bowling looks a little stronger. But the biggest strength of both the teams has been their tight bowling in the powerplay. And this is where the outcome of the match can be decided.
Siraj and Rabada not only take wickets in the powerplay, but are also adept at stopping runs. At the same time, Bhuvi and Hazlewood take wickets, but sometimes prove to be expensive. This is where the match-up game begins.
Gill has a habit of attacking Hazlewood right from the start and throwing him off his rhythm. But Gill’s bat has remained silent in front of Bhuvi till now. Bhuvi has dismissed him 5 times and Gill’s strike rate against him is only 107. At the same time, Sai Sudarshan has also been seen struggling in front of Hazlewood. If RCB sends both of them to the pavilion in the powerplay itself, then they can put pressure on Gujarat’s weak middle order.
If the Dharamshala pitch is bouncy, the role of spinners may be reduced. In such a situation, Krunal Pandya can prove to be a trump card for RCB in the middle overs, who improves his game under pressure. Talking about Gujarat bowlers, the contest between Rabada vs Kohli will be worth watching. Rabada has dismissed this Indian legend 5 times. If Phil Salt returns to the team, then Rabada has a great record against him too.
In most of the matches, Rabada has taken wickets when Siraj has created pressure from the other end by stopping the runs. It will be interesting to see whether this strategy works in Dharamshala. Unlike Gujarat, Bengaluru’s middle order is not weak. There are batsmen like Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David and Romario Shepherd. Only Jitesh Sharma is not in form.
Therefore, the task will not be easy for Rashid Khan and Prasidh Krishna, who bowl the middle overs. Rashid has taken 19 wickets this season and Prasidh has taken 14 wickets. Just like the powerplay, this phase of the match will also be very important, and RCB seems to have the upper hand here. The excellent form of the trio of Sai-Gill-Buttler has reduced the role of Gujarat’s middle order. If there is pressure on him in a big match, it may be difficult to handle. In such a situation, Jason Holder will be their last hope.
In the only match that Bengaluru played in Dharamsala, against Punjab, all their batsmen scored runs, especially Venkatesh Iyer. It remains to be seen how RCB uses them. This Qualifier-1 will be Gujarat’s first match in Dharamshala. Therefore, RCB has more experience in the conditions here. When these two teams met in the league stage, both had won on their respective home grounds.