New Delhi: Gujarat Titans captain Shibman Gill won the toss and elected to field against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the high-voltage IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday.The winner of the competition will earn a direct berth in the IPL 2026 final, while the losing team will get another chance in Qualifier 2 against the winner of the eliminator. Gujarat Titans have made a change in their playing XI, replacing Arshad Khan with Kulant Khajrulia.“We’re going to bowl first. It looks like a good wicket, you know, but we’ve seen and especially at this ground it gets a bit dewy in the second innings, so it’s always good to get a total and a big win on the board and then try to chase it down. In my opinion, this match is about taking the equation out of the game. We have been playing some really good cricket and hopefully we will continue to do so,” Shubman said during the toss.“I have played a lot here in the U-14, U-16 days. I have spent a lot of time here, so yes, hopefully it will be a good use for us. And yes, it is one of the most beautiful grounds in the world. We have a change. Kulant has replaced Arshad Khan,” he said.On the other hand, defending champions RCB included Jacob Duffy as part of their changes for the knockout competition.“I think, to be honest, the wicket is looking very good. It’s quite tough. It will come on well with the bat, so I think it won’t 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, I think it’s a good game that we’re going into the final after winning this game, but we’re winning this game at the same time.” We will give our best in this game,” said RCB captain Rajat Patidar.“I think we’ve played good cricket and we’re just focusing more on our strengths rather than focusing on the opposition. So yes, focusing more on strengths is our motto this year. I think the surface looks very good, it’s very hard. There’s no grass cover on it, I think. It’s going to be nice to bat on,” he said.Playing XI:Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (w), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kalwant Khajrulia, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Siraj, Prasad KrishnaRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rashikh Salamdar.Here are the Impact Substitutes for both teams:Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Kanishk Chauhan, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan CoxGujarat Titans Impact Subs: Rahul Tiotia, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kshagra, Sai Kishore
