Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) clash in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala on Tuesday, 26 May, with a direct berth in the final on the line. The two sides finished level on 18 points each at the top of the standings after 70 league-stage matches, separated only by net run rate.

What Is at Stake

Under the IPL playoff format, the winner of Qualifier 1 advances directly to the final, while the losing side earns a second chance through Qualifier 2. For RCB, victory would put them on course for back-to-back IPL titles after their 2025 triumph. GT, the 2022 champions, are chasing their second silverware — and their first since their debut season.

Head-to-Head and Season Form

The two franchises split their league-stage encounters 1-1 this season and are locked at 4-4 overall. GT's disciplined bowling unit troubled RCB in their first meeting, but the defending champions levelled the contest in the reverse fixture, underlining the razor-thin margins between these sides. Both enter the knockout stage in strong form, having outpaced the rest of the field across the league phase.

Match Details and Broadcast

The match begins at 7:30 pm IST on Tuesday, 26 May 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. Live television coverage will be available on Star Sports channels, while JioHotstar will stream the match online.

Full Squads

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (captain), Jos Buttler (wk), Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Luke Wood, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Anuj Rawat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Gurnoor Brar, M Shahrukh Khan.

IPL Title Landscape

Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings remain the most decorated franchises in IPL history with five titles each, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders with three. A win for either RCB or GT would keep them in contention to close that gap — at least symbolically — with a second championship.