Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal

New Delhi: Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will face each other in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday, with a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bangalore at stake.Rajasthan Royals are back in form after defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator, thanks to an explosive inning of 97 runs in just 29 balls by young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans will be looking to make a strong comeback after suffering a heavy defeat against RCB in Qualifier 1. The encounter promises to be a battle between Gujarat’s disciplined bowling attack and Rajasthan’s fearless batting unit led by the in-form Suryavanshi. The 15-year-old has emerged as the biggest talking point of the tournament with his fearless hitting at the top, leaving behind even established names like Yashasvi Jaiswal.GT’s fast bowlers Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada will once again have the responsibility of stopping the RR opener early. Siraj had dismissed Suryavanshi with a short ball in their last meeting and Gujarat could target the same weakness again.key players to watchVaibhav Suryavanshi and Joffra Archer remain the biggest match winners for Rajasthan Royals. Archer’s pace and ability to strike in the powerplay could be crucial against GT’s strong top order Shubman GillSai Sudarshan and Jos Buttler.Gujarat Titans will be heavily dependent on captain Shubman Gill and Sudarshan after their batting struggled badly against RCB. Rahul Tewatia’s late-order hitting and Rashid Khan’s control in the middle overs can also play an important role in the knockout match.gt vs rr head to head

gt vs rr pitch reportThere have been consecutive high scoring matches on the pitch of New Chandigarh this season. The batsmen have enjoyed the pace and bounce, while the fast bowlers have struggled at times during the death overs.A more batting-friendly surface is expected for Qualifier 2, and teams may once again aim for scores above 200. Dew later in the evening may also influence the captains to chase the target after winning the toss.gt vs rr weather updateHot and dry conditions are expected in New Chandigarh at the time of the match. The temperature is likely to remain above 35 degrees Celsius in the evening, so there is not much chance of the game being disrupted due to rain.gt vs rr probable playing elevenGujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudarshan, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna.Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Joffra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Nandre Berger, Sandeep Sharma.The match will start at 7:30 pm Indian time.