Who will win the GT vs RR match? Check out the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 prediction

The IPL 2026 Eliminator will be played between the Gujarat Titans and the Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on May 29. The winner of this match will take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 finals on May 29 at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad.

Gujarat Titans lost their Qualifier 1 match against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.

During the league matches, both teams faced each other twice, and each team secured a victory once. In the first meeting, RR won by 6 runs in a close contest at Ahmedabad, while in the second one, GT registered a victory by 77 runs at Jaipur. Looking at the current performance of both teams, it could be a close contest between the two sides.

Pitch Report: Mullanpur, New Chandigarh

The IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The ground is generally considered to be a high-scoring ground, and once again, something similar is expected to happen. This season, a total of 5 matches were conducted on this ground, including the Eliminator. The team batting first won 2 matches and the team chasing won 3. It means that both teams can decide to bowl first after winning the toss. If the team bats first, they will have no choice but to put up a huge total. Gujarat Titans had played one match against PBKS at the same venue, which they lost by 3 wickets in a nail-biting thriller. Conversely, RR had earlier played two matches each at this venue against the home team, Punjab Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator, and on both occasions, they emerged victorious. 

GT vs RR: Head-to-Head in IPL

The 2022 edition champions Gujarat Titans, and the 2008-winner Rajasthan Royals have faced each other 10 times in IPL history so far. GT have an upper hand on RR, with 7-3.  

GT vs RR: Probable playing XIIs

The Rajasthan Royals have reached Qualifier 2 on the back of victories in their last two league-stage matches and the Eliminator, whereas GT suffered a defeat in Qualifier 1. Consequently, RR will head into this match carrying tremendous momentum. RR is likely to field the same Playing XI that featured in the Eliminator, while GT may opt to make a few changes to their lineup. The team could consider dropping Nishant Sandhu and Kulwant Khejroliya from the Playing XI. If Arshad Khan is declared fit, he will slot directly into the Playing XI; alternatively, the team might consider fielding an extra batter. In that scenario, Shah Rukh Khan could find a place in the Playing XI.

Predicted GT playing XII

Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sandhu/Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Arshad Khan 

Predicted RR playing XII

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Yashraj Punja, Brijesh Sharma

Players to watch out for in the RCB vs GT Qualifier 1 match

Best batter: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals)

The current leading run scorer of the IPL 2026, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has scored 680 runs in 15 innings at an average of 45.33 and a tremendous strike rate of 242.86. He has smashed 1 century and 4 half-centuries throughout the tournament. Last season, Vaibhav smashed a brilliant ton against Shubman Gill & side, and he wants to replicate that innings again. He single-handedly won the match for RR by scoring 97 runs in 29 balls against SRH in the Eliminator, and GT bowlers must be preparing for him. It remains to be seen how Vaibhav adapts his game against Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj.

Best bowler: Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)

Jofra Archer single-handedly turned the tide of the last two games in favour of RR. In 15 games, he has already claimed 24 wickets. RR first secured their playoff position thanks to their outstanding bowling, and they are now prepared to play Qualifier 2 as well. In the eliminator, this bowler destroyed the SRH top order and claimed three vital wickets against them. He ended SRH's chances of winning the match by dismissing Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma.