Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT), two top teams, separated only by net run rate, tied 1-1 head-to-head this year, 4-4 overall. This is not a heavily tactical contest. Both teams are fairly settled all-round teams, having used the fewest players in this tournament, and don't like making changes for specific opposition. Still, this is how they could secure the tactical upper hand in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala.
Get them off their lengths
These are two of the best powerplay bowling units. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada are the highest wicket-takers, with Josh Hazlewood and Mohammed Siraj playing support roles. At the heart of these bowlers' success has been the ability to bowl the 6-8m length. Batters of both sides will look to unsettle the bowlers.
Hazlewood, for example, has taken 11 of his 12 wickets when batters have just responded to what he has bowled. When batters have stepped out, moved across, and backed away, his economy has been 13.71, 21.75 and 10.90, respectively. It is no surprise perhaps that GT were the first team to start charging at Hazlewood, getting 16 off five off him in Ahmedabad.
Then again batters have tried it much more against Bhuvneshwar but without success: stepping out 22 times to him all for just 20 runs and two dismissals. Rabada has been even more difficult to step out to, but Siraj has been taken for ten runs off five balls.
So basically watch out for Shubman Gill and Phil Salt trying to unsettle Hazlewood and Siraj, respectively, by moving around not just down the pitch but also inside the crease.
Early match-ups
There is no reason for either side to veer away from their strategy of frontloading with fast bowlers and bowling good lengths. Bhuvneshwar has got Gill five times in 13 innings and gone at a run a ball, Hazlewood has taken out B Sai Sudharsan twice for 28 runs. Rabada has got Virat Kohli five times in 16 innings, Siraj has dismissed Devdutt Padikkal thrice for just 41 runs. Salt has a good strike rate against Rabada and Siraj but has also got out to them twice each for under 50 runs.
Rabada for Patidar
Rashid Khan enjoys a good match-up against Padikkal, Tim David and Krunal Pandya, but it is Rajat Patidar who is the biggest threat for GT in the middle overs. That is what they could consider using Rabada's fourth over for. So far, Rabada has bowled 24 balls to Patidar for 17 runs and no wickets.
Prasidh Krishna's decent record against Patidar - 20 balls, 18 runs, no wickets - could be the deciding factor in GT's choice of the Impact Player. Of late, they have used either Krishna or a left-arm spinner. Spin is, anyway, used sparsely at night in Dharamsala. Don't bet against back-to-back overs from Rabada and Prasidh in the middle overs if Patidar is batting. And then Arshad Khan, who got him out in Ahmedabad with a short ball.
Hold back Bhuvneshwar for Buttler
In case RCB are unable to expose Jos Buttler to the new ball, they can use at least one of Bhuvneshwar's overs against him in the middle overs. Buttler has never got out to the other three Indian bowlers in the RCB attack, and Hazlewood and Romario Shepherd have been expensive. Bhuvneshwar and Krunal - the latter has at least gone under ten an over against Buttler - could bowl successive overs if Buttler is in the middle.