GT vs RR Qualifier 2 preview: Can Gujarat weather Vaibhav Sooryavanshi storm? Check head-to-head, pitch report, more

The Gujarat Capitals, after having been beaten by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will have another chance to reach the final. Tonight, Shubman Gill’s boys will clash with Riyan Parag’s Royals. The IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 will take place at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Mohali.

The winner of the match will move to the IPL 2026 final. RCB will be waiting for them. No matter if GT reach the final or RR, the winner of this year’s IPL will grab their 2nd trophy. The Royal Challengers, the Royals and the Titans have 1 trophy each so far.

The match will be broadcast on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar. Mohali, also known as the New Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, can host around 38,000 fans.

GT's highest team total against RR is 229/4, posted this year in IPL 2026. Their lowest score in this fixture is 177. RR's highest score against GT is 212/2, from IPL 2025. Their lowest total is 118.

The most iconic meeting came in the 2022 IPL Final. GT beat RR by 7 wickets to claim the title in their debut season. In 2026, the teams split their league-phase encounters. RR won the first game in Ahmedabad by 6 runs. GT won the reverse fixture in Jaipur by 77 runs.

The standout individual performance belongs to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He smashed 101 off just 35 balls against GT in IPL 2025. That remains the fastest IPL century by an Indian.

After the teenager’s 29-ball 97 in the Eliminator against SRH, all eyes will be on the southpaw again.

RR arrive on the back of a dominant victory and strong momentum. Dasun Shanaka continues as the replacement for the injured Sam Curran.

RR are expected to field an unchanged XI to maintain continuity. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is in exceptional form after missing out on the fastest 100 in the IPL.

RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja, Sushant Mishra (Impact Player).

Shubman Gill (GT): The GT captain has scored 614 career runs against RR. He has amassed 618 runs this season alone. He is just 23 runs short of 500 career playoff runs.

Sai Sudharsan (GT): GT's leading run-scorer this season has accumulated 652 runs. His ability to absorb pressure against spinners will dictate GT's tempo in the middle overs.

Kagiso Rabada (GT): The tournament's most dangerous powerplay bowler has taken 26 wickets this season. Eighteen of those scalps came inside the powerplay alone.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR): The 15-year-old leads the tournament with 680 runs and 65 sixes. He arrives on the back of a stunning 97 off 29 balls.

Jofra Archer (RR): RR's pace spearhead has claimed 24 wickets this season. His raw pace and bounce target GT's stable top order.

Ravindra Jadeja (RR): The experienced all-rounder has contributed 221 runs and 10 wickets. His tight middle-overs bowling will aim to restrain GT's scoring.

Batters can hit cleanly through the line with confidence. Teams have breached 220 runs in 4 of the last 5 games here. Anything under 220 while batting first will be considered well below par.

Fast bowlers will find seam movement and carry with the new ball early. The pitch dries as the match progresses, assisting experienced spinners in the middle overs.

The match starts at 7:30 PM. It will be partly sunny, with highs at 34°C. Rain chances remain low at 5 to 15% during the early hours. Conditions cool gradually through the evening. Heavy dew is expected by 11:30 PM.

Both captains will strongly prefer to bowl first tonight. The chasing team gains a significant advantage under dew conditions. An IMD alert for pre-monsoon storm activity adds a slight element of uncertainty.