GT Vs RR Preview, IPL 2026 Qualifier 2: Titan's Quality Bowling Attack Faces Fierce Sooryavanshi Test

As Gujarat Titans (GT) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League 2026, they'll have a massive challenge to overcome in the form of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who blew away Sunrisers Hyderabad with his explosive 97 off just 29 deliveries.

The second qualifier of IPL 2026 will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday, May 29.

Last time these two teams met in the group stage, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was again looking in fine touch before falling to a short ball by Mohammed Siraj at 36 off just 16 balls. Kagiso Rabada too was at the receiving end of Sooryavanshi's sizzling shot-making.

Is The Short Ball Sooryavanshi's Nemesis?

The pitch at Mullanpur is expected to be another belter of a surface, which means that Sooryavanshi will again look to take down every bowler in his opposition irrespective of their stature, as he did with Pat Cummins in the Eliminator.

While a well-directed pacy short delivery can get the teen prodigy's wicket at times, and GT's pace battery will try to use this tactic against him, if it's off the mark a bit, then Sooryavanshi is quick to get underneath it and deposit it into the stands.

Can Royals' Look Beyond Sooryavanshi-Archer Factor?

Royals have won their last three matches, but they rely heavily on Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer to come good, and these were the two players who effectively won RR the match against SRH.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was RR's numero uno batter before Sooryavanshi, has been completely overshadowed by the teen sensation and is currently not looking at his usual best, while Dhruv Jurel has done well at number three but has benefited from the head start provided by Sooryavanshi.

By captain Riyan Parag’s own admission, the Royals should have reached 260 on Wednesday but had an inexplicable collapse in the death overs. They would surely want to improve on their finishing skills.

Lack Of Plan B Cost GT Against RCB

Gujarat Titans are reaping the benefits of finishing at the top two, as despite getting a hammering by RCB in Qualifier 1, they still have a fair chance of making it into the final of IPL 2026. GT's batting is heavily reliant on their top three - Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler and if they fail, then they don't really have the depth to turn it around.

In matches where GT's decorated bowling fails, their batters have been put under pressure, like the last match against RCB, as they are highly consistent but not big-hitters, who can go hammer and tongs from ball one.

The bowling has been their biggest strength, but it faltered big time in the death overs in Dharamsala, where RCB skipper Rajat Patidar took the game away from Gill and Co.

So, if there bowling fails then they don't seem to have the ability to chase a big total and their brittle middle-order is one of the main reasons for it. The middle-order and lower-order do not inspire a lot of confidence but runs from Rahul Tewatia in the last game were among the few positives they would carry into Qualifier 2.

“Yeah, definitely, you know, this (Qualifier 1) is, like you said, one of those games that we'd like to forget and start over in Mohali,” Gill said ahead of the knockout game on home turf.

GT Vs RR, IPL 2026 Qualifier 2: Squads

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

Rajasthan Royals: Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Dasun Shanaka, Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Brijesh Sharma, Tushar Deshpande.