NEW DELHI: The winner of Qualifier 1, whether it is the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru or Gujarat Titans, will earn a direct spot in the IPL 2026 final. The championship match is scheduled to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
RCB Captain Reacts to Venue Change
During a pre-match press conference before Qualifier 1, RCB captain Rajat Patidar addressed questions about the possibility of his team not playing the final at their home ground, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, if they qualify. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) moved the final to Ahmedabad, citing operational reasons.
"It's not in my control. I think BCCI has to decide where the final is going to be. This is a historic site, so wherever the final is going to be, that's where it is going to be. We are focused on reaching the final," Patidar told reporters.
Qualifier 1 Details
RCB will carry the confidence of defending champions into Qualifier 1 when they face Gujarat Titans at the scenic HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday. The winner advances directly to the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, while the losing side gets another chance through Qualifier 2. The loser of Qualifier 1 will play against the winner of the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
Both RCB and GT finished the league stage with 18 points from 14 matches. RCB secured the top spot due to a superior net run rate, thanks to a consistently strong campaign.
Challenges for Bowlers
Patidar acknowledged that bowlers are finding it increasingly difficult to survive in an IPL season dominated by 200-plus totals. He admitted that even scores of 220-250 are no longer safe and conditions have made life tougher, especially for pacers.
"I feel it is more challenging for the bowlers. The wickets are batting friendly, boundaries are smaller and there is dew as well. Especially for fast bowlers, even a small mistake goes for six," Patidar said during the pre-match media interaction.
"But whatever wicket or conditions we get, we just try to do our best on that. It is not in my hands to decide how the wickets should be," he added.
Team Preparations
"Both teams have done pretty well throughout the season. On the given day, whichever team executes its plans better and stays calm under pressure, is going to win," Patidar stated.
Squads
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), 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 (c), 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.
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