RCB And GT Eye Direct Final Spot

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans will face each other in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday evening. The winner will move straight into the IPL 2026 final at Ahmedabad on May 31, 2026, while the losing team will get another chance in Qualifier 2 at New Chandigarh on May 29, 2026.

Both teams finished the league stage with 18 points from 14 matches, making this playoff clash a battle between two evenly matched sides. RCB finished ahead because of a better net run rate, while Gujarat entered the match with confidence after a big win over Chennai Super Kings in their last league game.

Kohli vs Gill Adds Big Focus

The biggest attraction will be the contest between Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. Kohli has scored heavily for RCB this season, while Gill has led Gujarat’s batting with consistency and aggressive intent. Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, and Jitesh Sharma could also play key roles in the high-pressure game.

Dharamshala conditions may help pacers early with bounce and movement. RCB will depend on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, while Gujarat has Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna in their pace unit. Dew could make chasing easier after sunset, so the toss may become an important factor in deciding the match.