Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans go head to head in the IPL 2026 playoffs, with RCB first and GT second after finishing level on 18 points with Sunrisers Hyderabad. RCB took top spot on a net run rate of +0.783 and became the first side in IPL history to post a win percentage above 70 across consecutive seasons.
RCB’s approach mirrors their 2025 title run: aggressive starts and disciplined bowling. When Phil Salt and Virat Kohli fire in the powerplay, the team often reaches 55–65 without loss. Kohli has 557 runs at an average of 50.63, Tim David strikes at almost 198 as a finisher, and Venkatesh Iyer hit 73 off 40 against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala. Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the wicket charts with 24, Josh Hazlewood supports him, and Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma control the middle overs.
Gujarat have won four of their last five games. Shubman Gill (616 runs at an average of 47.38) and Sai Sudharsan have both passed 600, the first pair from one franchise to do so in back-to-back seasons. Jos Buttler has been the finisher, with an unbeaten 57 off 27 against Chennai, while Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan have 33 wickets between them and Mohammed Siraj completes the pace group. The area to watch is GT’s middle order, which has rarely been tested.
