In the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala on Tuesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s plan of attack against Gujarat Titans was palpable at the outset. Shubman Gill & Co. appear at ease exhibiting a more traditional template of T20 cricket, but can get dragged out of their comfort zone when circumstances demand a breakneck tempo of scoring.

The RCB top-order attacked Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada — the pair has often bowled all six overs of the PowerPlay in tandem this season — in the quest to make Titans press the panic button. Skipper Rajat Patidar picked up the baton on the back of a blazing start as RCB amassed 254 for five and clinched a 92-run win.

Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs no second invitation to attack up front. When Royals face Titans at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Qualifier 2 on Friday, therefore, the 15-year-old’s duel against the pair of Siraj and Rabada will possibly take centre-stage in shaping the narrative in what is expected to be a sultry evening. The wunderkind from Bihar is a generational talent of the kind not seen before in T20s, and finds himself just 20 shy of taking his campaign tally to 700 runs.

If, and it is a big if, GT can eliminate Sooryavanshi’s threat early, RR will have concerns. While Yashasvi Jaiswal (426) and Dhruv Jurel (508) have also done well, there has been a noticeable drop-off from the middle-order. Even on Wednesday, after Sooryavanshi’s 97 and Jurel’s 50, Royals failed to capitalise in the latter stages of its innings. The onus is on skipper Riyan Parag in this regard.

Titans have similar frailties in their middle-order, but Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler embrace the heavy-lifting at the top. If Jofra Archer can find a way past the front three, like he did in the Eliminator on Wednesday, Royals will be in prime position to deliver the knockout punch.