RR vs GT Qualifier 2: Rajasthan Royals Win Toss, Opt To Bat First

Picture Credit: BCCI

Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bat first against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2026 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.

Explaining the decision, Parag said the pitch appeared similar to previous matches but could slow down later in the game, which would suit Rajasthan’s bowling attack. He added that his side simply needed to play better cricket across the full 40 overs to secure victory.

Parag also confirmed that Rajasthan Royals had retained the same playing XI for the important knockout encounter.

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill revealed that his side would also have preferred to bat first on the surface. He stated that nearly 40 overs of cricket had already been played on the pitch, making major changes in conditions unlikely.

Gill described the match as a ‘now or never’ situation for the Gujarat Titans, with a place in the IPL final at stake. He also confirmed that spinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore had returned to the playing XI as the only change for the franchise.

Road to Qualifier 2

Rajasthan Royals entered the second qualifier after defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, while Gujarat Titans suffered defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1.

The winner of the contest will advance to the IPL 2026 final, where the Royal Challengers Bengaluru await at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

During the league stage, Rajasthan Royals won the first meeting between the two teams by six wickets, while Gujarat Titans responded with a commanding 77-run victory in the return fixture.

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (captain), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja.

Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.

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Bishal Singh