So, the day has arrived which we were all waiting for. The first qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, will be played between Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala. The winner of this match will qualify for the finals of the tournament.
Both teams had a great journey in the tournament so far. Defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are willing to win their second consecutive title in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Meanwhile, their opponents, Gujarat Titans, who won their maiden IPL title in 2022, are likely to continue their legacy.
This match is going to be important for both teams. Whatever mistakes they had made in their past, wouldn’t be repeated in this match, as whoever wins this game gets an advantage as they qualify straight for the finals of the tournament. Meanwhile, the other one still has the chance to reach the final stage by playing eliminator 2, which will be played on May 29.
Also Read: IPL 2026 Playoffs: Dates, venues, teams and full knockout fixtures confirmed
RCB vs GT predicted playing XI for IPL 2026 qualifier 1
If we discuss the likely playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in this highly-intense match, it would look like:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):
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.
Impact Player: Tim David
Gujarat Titans (GT):
Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj.
Impact Player: Prasidh Krishna
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Match prediction
Now, it’s high time to discuss the match prediction for this game. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans had met 8 times before, where RCB won 4 games and GT also won 4 games out of them. It will be interesting to see them play for the ninth time in qualifier 1.
However, the match will be played in Dharamshala. According to the pitch conditions, whoever bats first is likely to touch the range of 200-220 at least. But, the favourites of this would be the team who chase. The team who field in this match are likely to win the match and qualify for the finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
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The post IPL 2026, RCB vs GT Match Preview: What’s the perfect playing XI for both teams and who will qualifying for the finals? appeared first on Cricket Country.
