King vs Prince: Virat Kohli vs Shubman Gill gives IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 its sharpest battle beyond playoff stakes

Under Rajat Patidar, RCB have continued the good work they did in 2025 for their inaugural trophy. The narrative weight of that first title, with all its emotions and significance, has settled into the history of the team – but for the first time in six years, they are invested in being the team that goes back-to-back with title wins.

They come across a team that came within literal inches of achieving that in 2023 – Gujarat Titans, since their inception, have missed the playoffs only once in five seasons. Last year, despite having the Orange Cap and Purple Cap holders in their team, they fell short in the Eliminator. This year, they have two bites at the cherry, but will want to ensure they don’t need to use those.

In a year that has been all about powerplay batting and explosive starts at the very top, the two teams in Qualifier 1 don’t have the most dynamic and powerful opening bats, necessarily. But between Kohli, Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Phil Salt, they have batters who can go at 170-180+ with utmost ease, risk-free and with comfort to set up the base for their true strength to take advantage of.