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In the IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Gujarat Titans` (GT) skipper Shubman Gill has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.
The Titans will enter the clash with one change, where Arshad Khan will make way for Kulwant Khejroliya.
After winning the toss, GT`s skipper Gill said, “We`re gonna bowl first. It looks like a good wicket, you know, but we have seen and in this ground particularly, there is a bit of dew in the second innings, so it`s always good to have a total on the board and a big win and then try to chase it down. I think, this match is all about taking the equation out of the game. We have been playing some really good cricket and hopefully we`ll continue to do so. I`ve played a lot here in the under 14, under 16 days. I`ve spent quite a bit of time here, so yeah, hopefully it`s gonna be a good use of us. And yes, it is one of the prettiest grounds, in the world. We have one change. Kulwant comes in in place of Arshad Khan”.
On the other hand, RCB`s captain Rajat Patidar said, “I think, to be honest, the wicket looks pretty good. It`s pretty hard. It will come nicely on the bat, so I think it will not change in 40 overs. So we`ll try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure. I think the first qualifier game is, I think it`s a nice game to go straight in the final after winning this game, but we are just taking this one game at a time. We`ll give our best in this game. I think we`ve played good cricket and we are just focusing more on our strength, rather than focusing more on the opposition. So yeah, focusing more on the strength is our motto this year. I think the surface looks pretty good. It`s pretty hard. There`s no grass cover on it, I think so. It will be nice to bat on”.
IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans: Confirmed Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy, Rasikh Salam.
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Nishant Sindhu, Jos Buttler (WK), Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
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