RCB Vs GT Qualifier IPL 2026: Who will make it to the finals, who will have the upper hand? A look at the probable playing XI before the match

RCB vs GT Qualifier IPL 2026: IPL 2026 has now reached its most exciting stage. After the league stage is over, the real pressure and excitement of the playoffs is about to begin. In this series, Qualifier-1 will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday (May 26) at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Dharamshala.

This match is very important for both the teams, because the winning team will get a direct ticket to the finals, while the losing team will have another chance through Qualifier-2.

The biggest feature of this match is the presence of Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. On one hand there is the experience of veteran Virat, on the other hand there is the confidence of Shubman Gill who is in excellent form. In such a situation, cricket fans are expecting a high-voltage match.

Close competition in head-to-head record

If we look at the head-to-head records of both the teams, the match appears to be completely equal.

Till now both the teams have clashed 8 times in IPL history, in which both have won 4-4 matches. The special thing is that till now no match between the two teams has ended without a result.

RCB’s best score in this match has been 206 runs, while Gujarat’s highest score is 205 runs. Whereas Gujarat’s minimum score was 147 and Bengaluru’s minimum score was 155 runs.

In the previous encounter of the current season, Gujarat Titans had defeated RCB by 4 wickets. In such a situation, GT will enter the field with a psychological edge.

RCB shocked by injury

RCB has suffered a big setback before the qualifiers. Jacob Bethel is out of the playoffs due to a finger injury.

The situation regarding Phil Salt’s fitness is still not completely clear. Captain Rajat Patidar said that Salt is fit and is practicing under the supervision of the medical team, but the decision on the final playing eleven will be taken before the match.

If Salt is not fully fit, RCB’s batting combination may be affected.

Probable Playing XII

RCB Probable XII:
Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salaam Dar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyyash Sharma/Jacob Duffy.

GT Potential XII:
Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

RCB vs GT: Who is the biggest run machine?

In the matches played between RCB and GT, some players have left the most impact with their performance. Virat Kohli tops the list of highest run scorers in this rivalry, having scored 460 runs. After him, Shubman Gill with 229 runs and Sai Sudarshan with 216 runs are at second and third place. At the same time, Faf du Plessis has scored 160 runs, while David Miller has 135 runs in his name. Statistics show that Virat Kohli has batted the most in RCB vs GT matches and once again all eyes will be on his performance. Also, let us tell you that David Miller is neither with GT anymore nor is Faf du Plessis a part of RCB.

Who has the upper hand?

On paper, Gujarat’s bowling unit looks more balanced, with experienced bowlers like Rashid Khan, Rabada and Siraj. The strength of RCB is its batting and experience in big matches.

However, pressure in the playoffs can change the whole story. The Dharamshala pitch and weather may also play an important role in the outcome of the match.