Gujarat Titans face Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2, with the winner earning a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad.
Match context
GT arrive on the back of a heavy 92-run defeat to RCB in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala, where Rahul Tewatia’s 68 off 43 was their brightest contribution in the chase.
Jason Holder and Kagiso Rabada each took two wickets in that match, but the batting was unable to build a platform in difficult conditions.
Rajasthan arrive on a three-match winning streak, most recently defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the Eliminator, where Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 97 off 29 balls — including 12 sixes — set the tone with an innings of remarkable power-hitting.
Crucially, RR have won all four matches they have played at this venue in IPL 2026, a record that carries significant weight.
Form guide
Sooryavanshi leads the tournament’s batting returns and enters this fixture on the back of his best knockout performance of the season. Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel provide the depth behind him, while Riyan Parag’s captaincy has been increasingly assured.
Jofra Archer leads the bowling with 21 wickets and took figures of 3-17 in the final league match to demonstrate his clutch ability.
For GT, captain Shubman Gill has scored 400-plus runs in every IPL season for the franchise and is 23 runs from 500 playoff runs. Sai Sudharsan is 48 runs from 700 tournament runs.
Rabada needs five wickets to reach 150 IPL scalps, with Rabada and Rashid Khan both among the tournament’s top 10 wicket-takers.
Key stats and pitch
Five matches have been played at New Chandigarh in IPL 2026, with an average first innings score of 220. A 223-run target has been chased down at this venue this season.
The pitch is batting-friendly with short boundaries and a quick outfield, and CricTracker’s predictive model backs the team batting first to win, estimating a first innings score of 230 to 240 for GT and 210 to 220 for RR.
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Head-to-head
GT hold a dominant 7-3 head-to-head record over RR in all IPL meetings. Their most recent encounter this season ended in a 77-run GT victory in Jaipur. However, RR’s unbeaten record at this specific venue gives them a critical psychological and structural edge.
Betting angle
RR at 1.75 is fair value given their venue record, current momentum and the match-winning ability of Sooryavanshi at a ground he has already mastered this season.
Jofra Archer at 4.75 for top bowler is the standout individual market given his 21 wickets and consistent clutch performances in knockout cricket.
RR most sixes at 1.60 is directly aligned with Sooryavanshi’s 12-six Eliminator innings and the ground’s short boundaries.
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The takeaway
GT’s head-to-head dominance and bowling depth make them a credible threat, but Rajasthan hold every contextual advantage — venue record, current form and a batsman in Sooryavanshi who appears unstoppable at this stage of the tournament.
A high-scoring match is near-certain on this surface, and the side that wins the toss and manages the powerplay with the bat first is most likely to set the tone.
Photo: REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary
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