IPL 2026 Qualifier 2: Can GT stop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's wrath?
What's the story
Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will lock horns in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 on Friday. The match, starting 7:30pm IST, is scheduled at New Chandigarh's Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. This is the same venue where Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blazing knock helped RR beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. The Titans, who lost Qualifier 1 to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will hope to deflate a fired-up Sooryavanshi early. They will also have to face Jofra Archer's fiery opening spell.
Conditions
Pitch report and conditions
The pitch at the Mullanpur Stadium has been a batsman's paradise as seen in the Eliminator. While this has been a chasing ground, RR put SRH under pressure with a massive score of 243/8. Therefore, GT would be wary of their solid top order. Expect another high-scoring encounter on another flat track. According to AccuWeather, it will be a windy evening in New Chandigarh with some overhead clouds.
Battle
RR's monstrous batting versus GT pace attack
The Royals have been heavily reliant on Sooryavanshi and Archer to deliver match-winning performances. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal's contributions, Sooryavanshi has overshadowed everything. While Dhruv Jurel has also performed well at number three, Riyan Parag has improved with his timely cameos. It will be interesting to see if GT's pace attack, led by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, will test the RR top order with bouncers. And they might consider going back to Arshad Khan.
Line-ups
A look at Probable XIIs
GT (Probable XII): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, R Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. RR (Probable XII): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Riyan Parag (captain), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Sushant Mishra, and Yash Raj Punja.
Information
Head-to-head record
The Titans hold a strong record against the Royals, having won seven of their 10 games against them after debuting in 2022. Earlier this season, RR defeated GT in Ahmedabad, and the Titans bounced back against them in Jaipur.
Milestones
Milestones on offer
Sooryavanshi, who has been making waves, is set to complete 1,000 runs in the IPL. Requiring 68 more runs, the left-hander currently has a strike rate of 231.84 in the tournament. Jadeja requires five more to complete 250 wickets in T20 cricket. Sai Sudharsan, who has been consistent, is closing in on 2,500 runs in the IPL (2,445*).
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