IPL 2026 | RCB vs GT: Powerplay bowling crucial vs Gujarat, says Rajat Patidar

Dharamsala:The Qualifier 1 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans is what you call a perfect battle of equals. Both teams are evenly matched in batting and bowling, and even in the head-to-head record, hardly anything separates the two one-time champions. The record is 4-4 overall and 1-1 this season.

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, exuding a quiet confidence on the eve of the clash at the picturesque HPCA Stadium, reckoned the team that holds the nerve better under pressure will be able to punch the direct ticket to the final.

“Both the teams have done pretty well throughout the season. Both the teams are equally good. On the given day, who will execute their plan better, who will play better cricket, who will be calm under pressure, I think that team is going to win the match. So, we have to be calm under pressure. Of course, it is a big stage, Qualifier 1. But we have to just hold our nerves and be confident whatever we are doing,” said Patidar at the pre-match press conference.

Gujarat Titans’ assistant coach Vijay Dahiya, looking relaxed much like the locals here in this tourist place, echoed Patidar’s thoughts. “It’s going to be a battle. We have met twice in this edition and it's 1-1. Both of them are really good sides. You can say that they are equally matched, some big players on both sides. And both the teams play as a unit, and I think that's what stands out about both the teams.”

Patidar felt a strong bowling performance in the Powerplay, given how strong GT’s top-order batting is, will be very crucial to RCB’s success. “The way we bowl in the Powerplay, I think that will be very crucial. And everyone in the team knows that we are not here to defend. We are here with the mindset of attacking. So we will look for early wickets. And that's what we have done so far. So, doing the same thing again and again, I think it will make a difference. That’s what Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), (Josh) Hazlewood and Rasikh (Dar) will be looking to do.”  

Last season, RCB shot out Punjab Kings for 101 in Qualifier 1 and then scaled down the target in 10 overs soar into their fourth final before annexing the title for the first time. Patidar said his men are looking forward to replicating the same come Tuesday.

“It's pretty obvious, when you finish top two, you get only one match and if you win, you can straight away go to the finals. That is the chat going on. It's not Qualifier 1, from the beginning of the season, we just wanted to win matches. Everyone is looking forward to it and we are here to win every match. We are here to win Qualifier 1 and go straight away to the final.”