Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans meet each other in the all-important Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2026 at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Rajat Patidar-led RCB are looking for back-to-back finals after topping the points table with nine wins. Shubman Gill's GT are seeking a spot in their third IPL final in five years.
Also read: Dharamsala Pitch Report
IPL 2026 Qualifier 1: RCB vs GT Live Score and Match Updates
Romario Shepherd to play as an impact player?
Romario Shepherd is likely to come in as an impact player in the first innings if RCB face an unexpected collapse. Suyash Sharma is also among the impact players and might come if the wicket offers any help to spinners in the first innings.
GT XI - Arshad Khan miss out!!!
A big change for GT today. The 34-year-old left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya replaces Arshad Khan.
GT XI (bowling first): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Impact players: Tewatia, Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Sai Kishore.
RCB XI - Romario Shepherd OUT!!!
One change to RCB XI today. Jacob Duffy replaces Romario Shepherd. Phil Salt remains unavailable due to injury. Suyash Sharma starts from the bench.
RCB XI (batting first): Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar
Impact players: Shepherd, Suyash, Kanishk Chohan, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox
Toss time
Captains Rajat Patidar and Shubman Gill are out in the middle for the toss.
Gill wins the toss and Gujarat Titans are bowling first
Kulwant Khejroliya replaces Arshad Khan in GT XI. No Phil Salt for RCB.
RCB vs GT Head-to-Head Record
Both teams have been equally dominant in this contest, winning four each in eight meetings. However, GT have won two of their last three meetings against RCB, and are favourites to win again today.
- Matches played - 8
- RCB won - 4
- GT won - 4
- NR - 0
GT Preview
Gujarat Titans are looking strong for their first title under Shubman Gill's leadership. They finished second in the points table, level with RCB in points and matches won, and are favourites to beat RCB today.
As expected, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler dominated with the bat, but very few would have predicted the similar impact from their bowling attack. Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj have formed the best bowling attack in the powerplay, followed by Rashid Khan's magical spells in the middle overs.
Gujarat Titans ended their league stage campaign with their biggest win by margin of runs, beating CSK by 89 runs. The Titans have recorded their biggest three victories in IPL history in their last four games, and are showing no signs of backing down.
RCB Preview
After ending their title drought in 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished the IPL 2026 league stage at the top of the points table. With 9 wins in 14 games, they secured Qualifier 1 on superior net run rate.
RCB kicked off their season strong, winning four of their first five matches. Rajat Patidar's side suffered a few shock results against LSG and DC, but their dominant wins against PBKS and KKR helped them finish at the top.
In their last match, RCB suffered a huge 55-run defeat while chasing a 255-run target against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Such a big defeat before the playoffs exposed their bowling attack. They will be eager to overcome the defeat against SRH with a much-improved performance in Dharamsala today.
Dharamsala hosts Qualifier 1
Hello everyone, welcome to Sports Yaari's live coverage of today's IPL game in Dharamsala.
The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, are facing Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1. Both teams finished the league stages with 9 wins in 14 games, and are looking to secure a spot in the final today.