The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) top-order batters came hard at Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 on Tuesday, and they unravelled. Between them, the two Gujarat Titans (GT) quicks, who have led the bowling attack with their hard lengths and swing and Test-match-style bowling, returned 7-0-100-2, both wickets going to Rabada. "Their predictability is hurting them [when the conditions are not to their liking]," Ambati Rayudu said, while the consensus was that GT were "the bowling version of SRH", who struggle to score runs when the conditions are tough.
"When there's zero movement in the surface, that's when they're vulnerable, because they don't have the real extreme change-ups, you know, of pace and variety," Tom Moody, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) global director of cricket, said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut. "They do become predictable for that. It's a bit like Sunrisers [Hyderabad]. As soon as Sunrisers are put on a surface that's doing a bit, that batting line-up really struggles. So it's the complete opposite.
"You get the ball just nipping or swinging a little bit, and Siraj and Rabada - all the very best to you, because you're going to have a tough examination. This is a very, very flat surface. And we saw that in the powerplay. And they don't have the answers, they don't have the huge change-ups of pace, the deception, they don't have the [Lungi] Ngidi slower ball or something [making the batters] go reaching for it. They've got them, but they're not their trump card.
"Their trump card is when it's doing a bit and they can hit that hard length and create issues both on inside and on the outside of the bat."
That didn't happen in Dharamsala. A fear that has always been around GT, who have built a fortress in Ahmedabad, where the pitches work in their favour.
"You know what to expect [against GT], and when good batsmen, like what RCB have, know that this is the kind of bowling that's going to come at us, they are prepared for it," Rayudu said. "You can only be so good, but on a given day a batsman goes after you, what is your plan B? You don't have great slower balls. You don't bowl defensive bowling up top. Sometimes you need to go defensive on surfaces that are very, very good, to become attacking again after you get a wicket. You need to always have the game under control and GT, one way or the other, either they have it under complete control or they lose it."
On the night, RCB smashed 76 in the powerplay. In that phase, Venkatesh Iyer scored at 271.42, Devdutt Padikkal at 209.09, and Virat Kohli at 188.88. Then it only got worse for GT as Rajat Patidar flayed them for 93 not out in 33 balls.
In hindsight, was the decision to field upon winning the toss the wrong one?
For the record, teams chasing had won both the games in Dharamsala earlier in the season.
"Yeah, I told that yesterday also to a friend who asked me 'what it is best chance [for GT]' and I said they should lose the toss," Rayudu said. "Because a team that has limitations, they have to play in their limitation. They should not overdo things just because it is a playoff. Just do your little bit and then let your bowlers - the best part of your team, the strength of your team - to go out there and try and defend, because they are in tremendous form.
"So you get 200 or even 190 or even 180, sure, but you at least are giving yourself a great chance. I always remember this: when I was playing for MI [Mumbai Indians], the great Ricky Ponting always told us, 'under pressure, win the toss and bat'. I think the Aussies do that a lot, put runs on the board.
"What is your strength? I mean, if I can't land a punch and I can kick, you should only kick. Why should you try and land a punch? You try and do what you can do best."