Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel on 28 May said the team is fully confident of its bowling attack and has its plans in place to counter teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday. The winner will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The Sooryavanshi Factor

The most-watched subplot of Qualifier 2 is shaping up to be Sooryavanshi's duel with GT's new-ball pair of Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada. Patel, speaking at the pre-match press conference, acknowledged the youngster's quality while keeping his team's tactical cards close to his chest.

'I am not a broadcaster right now, and I am not there on the pre-show of Star Sports. So I can't tell you what plans I have made. But it feels really good about the way he is batting. Hopefully, we will try to get him out early in the game,' Patel said.

He added that GT, like every other side in the competition, has done its video homework. 'In the beginning, I had said that the way he has been batting is very good. Even last time, I said that we should not be talking about his age. He has been a phenomenal talent, just the way he has been playing, and it's great to see. From the opposition's point of view, we hope that he doesn't get big runs tomorrow,' he said.

Bowling Confidence After Qualifier 1 Setback

GT suffered a heavy defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala, with their bowling attack taking significant punishment. Patel, however, was unequivocal about his side's faith in their attack. 'We are quite confident about our bowling line-up. You have named all of them. All of them are renowned bowlers in international cricket. That has been our strength also, picking up wickets early in the powerplay, and that is something which we will try to do tomorrow as well,' he said.

Moving On From Qualifier 1 Defeat

Patel said the team has drawn a line under the Dharamshala loss and is focused entirely on Friday's contest. He did, however, single out Rahul Tewatia's innings as a rare positive from that game. 'There were a lot of questions about middle order before the big game, but Tewatia spent a lot of time in the middle. So, that is something very positive. Otherwise, in the play-off games, whether it is Rajasthan or us, you have to leave that game behind and try to look forward,' he said.

Sai Sudarshan's Strike Rate and GT's Playing Identity

On questions about leading run-getter B Sai Sudarshan's strike rate, Patel was dismissive of any suggestion to push him harder. 'He has been very effective. He has been scoring at a fair strike rate, also. It is not that he is scoring under 100. If someone is scoring at 300, it doesn't mean that everyone has to strike at 300. But he has been very effective. He has given us results,' Patel said.

He also pushed back against critics — including a reference to analyst Tom Moody, who had described GT as a 'set pattern team' — pointing to the franchise's track record. 'We were sitting pretty at number 2 in the points table. We have finished number two, and we know what kind of cricket we want to play. Over the last 4-5 years, we have qualified for playoffs one year, we have been champions in one, and we were runners-up once. So the results are there for everyone to see,' Patel said.

GT, the IPL 2022 champions, go into Friday's Qualifier 2 as the team with more to prove, having already used one lifeline. With Siraj and Rabada primed and a clear tactical focus on Sooryavanshi, the contest between bat and ball could define who reaches the final.