<p>Dharamsala: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rcb">RCB</a>) and <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/gujarat-titans">Gujarat Titans</a>, two well-oiled machines that have churned out consistently good cricket over the last two months, will be looking to crank up the gears in the foothills of the Himalayas when they lock horns in what promises to be an engaging Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. </p><p>Be it solid top-order batting, a strong bowling attack, or the temperament to nick games when pressure rises in a highly competitive and exhaustive tournament, both RCB and GT have displayed the necessary tactical nous to stay steady in the playoffs’ race before rising above the chasing pack smoothly to give themselves two shots at making the title clash.</p><p>Starting off with defending champions Royal Challengers, who have looked determined right from the onset to add more lustre to the halo that dawned upon them on a magical night last June, everything that worked so beautifully last season has continued this year too.</p><p>Former captain Virat Kohli, who has adapted beautifully to changing nature of T20 batting while retaining his aggressive self, is the leading run scorer (557) with four half-centuries and one ton. Opening the batting, the 37-year-old has balanced fire with ice in good measure to constantly lay a strong foundation for the middle-order to flourish. In chases especially, he’s looked every bit the ‘King Kohli’, calculating the approach superbly like a supercomputer.</p><p>Middle-order batters Devdutt Padikkal (433) and Rajat Patidar (393) have chipped in nicely, while Tim David (277) has upped his game as a finisher. On an odd day when the batters have failed, RCB have found saviours in Krunal Pandya and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose fourth-ball six in the final over won a thriller against Mumbai Indians.</p><p>The 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar, in fact, has been RCB’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) this season, bagging 24 wickets. His wickets right at the start have wrecked oppositions; his simple yet effective bowling leaving most batters bamboozled. Bhuvneshwar has been supported well by the seasoned Josh Hazlewood. Add the performance of veteran spinner Krunal and RCB have got their bases covered on the bowling front too, which had been their Achilles heel for the longest of times.</p><p>The Titans too have similar strengths. At the top, Sai Sudharsan is enjoying another remarkable season with 638 runs along with Shubman Gill (616). The duo are by no means hell-for-leather batters that modern T20 cricket demands, but they’ve shown old-school style is not passe with intelligent stroke-making and innings-pacing. And like last season, one-drop Jos Buttler (469) has backed up Sudharsan and Gill with his potent power-hitting.</p><p>On the bowling front, the Titans have perhaps the best attack. Pacers Kagiso Rabada (24), Mohammed Siraj (17) and Prasidh Krishna (14) have been on the mark, while ace spinner Rashid Khan (19) has rediscovered his mojo to show class in permanent and form is temporary. Add Jason Holder’s (13) heroics to the mix, then GT have little to worry about. The only cause for concern is the middling form of middle and lower order batters. If the top-order fails, then GT could be in a spot.</p><p>The picturesque venue has been a paradise for batters this season with teams surpassing 200 five times in six matches with the lowest score being 199/8. Tuesday promises to be another belter.</p>
<p>Dharamsala: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rcb">RCB</a>) and <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/gujarat-titans">Gujarat Titans</a>, two well-oiled machines that have churned out consistently good cricket over the last two months, will be looking to crank up the gears in the foothills of the Himalayas when they lock horns in what promises to be an engaging Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. </p><p>Be it solid top-order batting, a strong bowling attack, or the temperament to nick games when pressure rises in a highly competitive and exhaustive tournament, both RCB and GT have displayed the necessary tactical nous to stay steady in the playoffs’ race before rising above the chasing pack smoothly to give themselves two shots at making the title clash.</p><p>Starting off with defending champions Royal Challengers, who have looked determined right from the onset to add more lustre to the halo that dawned upon them on a magical night last June, everything that worked so beautifully last season has continued this year too.</p><p>Former captain Virat Kohli, who has adapted beautifully to changing nature of T20 batting while retaining his aggressive self, is the leading run scorer (557) with four half-centuries and one ton. Opening the batting, the 37-year-old has balanced fire with ice in good measure to constantly lay a strong foundation for the middle-order to flourish. In chases especially, he’s looked every bit the ‘King Kohli’, calculating the approach superbly like a supercomputer.</p><p>Middle-order batters Devdutt Padikkal (433) and Rajat Patidar (393) have chipped in nicely, while Tim David (277) has upped his game as a finisher. On an odd day when the batters have failed, RCB have found saviours in Krunal Pandya and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose fourth-ball six in the final over won a thriller against Mumbai Indians.</p><p>The 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar, in fact, has been RCB’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) this season, bagging 24 wickets. His wickets right at the start have wrecked oppositions; his simple yet effective bowling leaving most batters bamboozled. Bhuvneshwar has been supported well by the seasoned Josh Hazlewood. Add the performance of veteran spinner Krunal and RCB have got their bases covered on the bowling front too, which had been their Achilles heel for the longest of times.</p><p>The Titans too have similar strengths. At the top, Sai Sudharsan is enjoying another remarkable season with 638 runs along with Shubman Gill (616). The duo are by no means hell-for-leather batters that modern T20 cricket demands, but they’ve shown old-school style is not passe with intelligent stroke-making and innings-pacing. And like last season, one-drop Jos Buttler (469) has backed up Sudharsan and Gill with his potent power-hitting.</p><p>On the bowling front, the Titans have perhaps the best attack. Pacers Kagiso Rabada (24), Mohammed Siraj (17) and Prasidh Krishna (14) have been on the mark, while ace spinner Rashid Khan (19) has rediscovered his mojo to show class in permanent and form is temporary. Add Jason Holder’s (13) heroics to the mix, then GT have little to worry about. The only cause for concern is the middling form of middle and lower order batters. If the top-order fails, then GT could be in a spot.</p><p>The picturesque venue has been a paradise for batters this season with teams surpassing 200 five times in six matches with the lowest score being 199/8. Tuesday promises to be another belter.</p>