Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 with the weight of a table-topping campaign and the urgency of a direct route to the final.
RCB finished the league stage with 18 points from 14 matches, ahead of Gujarat Titans on net run rate, turning the playoff opener in Dharamsala into a proper top-two collision. The winner will move straight into the final, while the loser will have to survive Qualifier 2.
For RCB, the stage carries extra meaning. This is no longer just about making the playoffs or carrying the emotional baggage of past seasons. Their league-stage campaign has given them control, credibility and the chance to dictate the business end of the tournament. Virat Kohli has again been central to their batting structure, while the bowling group has given them enough balance to win games in different conditions.
Gujarat Titans, however, are not arriving as passengers in RCB’s coronation march. Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler have formed one of the strongest top-order units of the season, making Qualifier 1 a contest between RCB’s all-round depth and GT’s batting authority.
It is in this context that former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has backed RCB to overpower Gujarat and move towards the title, comparing their IPL 2026 run to Peshawar Zalmi’s dominant campaign in the Pakistan Super League.
Speaking on The Game Plan YouTube show, Basit said RCB had the look of a side ready to take charge of the playoffs.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking on The Game Plan YouTube show, Basit said RCB had the look of a side ready to take charge of the playoffs.
{{/usCountry}}“RCB will do exactly what Peshawar Zalmi did - straightforward domination. If anyone can challenge RCB, it is Sunrisers Hyderabad. Otherwise, no one else has a chance,” Basit said.
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“It will be a high-scoring match”: Basit Ali
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal also expected the Qualifier 1 clash to produce a heavy-scoring contest, given the batting strength on both sides and the conditions in Dharamsala.
“I feel RCB are very dangerous on that ground. Their top three batters - Shubman Gill, Sudarshan, and Jos Buttler - are very strong. RCB’s batting goes very deep till 7 or 8. Their bowling is also very strong. It will be a high-scoring match. I feel it will go beyond 200, maybe even 220–225,” Akmal said.
Akmal appeared to mix the team reference while naming Gill, Sudharsan and Buttler, who are part of Gujarat’s top order. But his larger point was clear: the Qualifier 1 could be shaped by aggressive top-order batting, depth through the middle order and a venue where totals can rise quickly once batters settle.
The discussion also touched on Virat Kohli’s recent on-field moment during RCB’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where Akmal referred to the post-match handshake episode involving Travis Head.
“In the last match between Sunrisers Hyderabad, Travis Head, and Virat Kohli, there was that handshake moment; no handshake happened,” Akmal said.
Basit added, “Something felt off. Otherwise, Virat is not that kind of person.”
Basit also criticised the Mumbai Indians for altering the playoff race with their late-season result, saying their defeat had affected multiple teams fighting for qualification.
“For me, the biggest thing is that Mumbai Indians have done an injustice to three teams. They lost a winning match, knocked Punjab out, knocked KKR out, and also ruined Delhi’s chances. Basically, they have completely changed the situation,” Basit said.
RCB’s position at the top of the table has made them the side to beat, but Gujarat’s batting power ensures Qualifier 1 carries enough danger to resist easy predictions. Basit has placed RCB firmly in the favourites’ corner. Dharamsala will decide whether that confidence becomes prophecy or another playoff spark waiting to burn sideways.