IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans’ strongest predicted XI against Rajasthan Royals

A hurt Gujarat Titans (GT) side will take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday, May 29. The winner of this game will secure the chance to play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the showpiece final on Sunday.

GT come into the game on the back of a heavy 92-run defeat at the hands of RCB in Qualifier 1. After conceding 254 runs in the first innings, the 2022 champions were bundled out for 162 in Dharamshala. 

Shubman Gill’s side will now take on an in-form RR side, who beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. GT and RR have already played each other twice this season, with both sides winning a game each. The Titans beat their Western rivals in Jaipur by 77 runs earlier this month after Rashid Khan took four wickets in the second innings.

Here is GT’s strongest predicted XI vs RR, Qualifier 2, IPL 2026:

Top Order: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK)

GT’s hopes of qualifying for their third IPL final heavily rely on the amount of runs scored by their top three batters. The trio did not contribute much against RCB, which led to the side’s demise. Sai Sudharsan is currently the side’s highest and the tournament’s second-highest run-getter with 652 runs from 15 matches. 

Both Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler, meanwhile, have hit 618 and 498 runs in this year’s IPL, respectively. Just like 2025, Sudharsan, Gill and Buttler are GT’s top three run-scorers.

Middle Order: Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan

There is a huge drop-off in terms of runs scored after Buttler’s tally of 498. GT’s next highest run-scorer is Washington Sundar, with 311 runs at a strike-rate of 151.70. The left-handed batter has scored two half-centuries this season, having firmly established himself in GT’s middle-order.

Due to the outstanding form of their top-order, the Titans’ middle and lower-order have not gotten many opportunities to showcase their prowess with the bat. Rahul Tewatia, however, returned to form against RCB by scoring 68 off 43 balls, though in a losing cause.

Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna 

As a unit, no side has bowlers contribute equally like GT. Amongst the top 12 wicket-takers in this season’s IPL, four bowlers are representing the Ahmedabad-based franchise. 

Kagiso Rabada is the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 26 scalps to his name. He is closely followed by Rashid Khan (19), Mohammed Siraj (17) and Jason Holder (15), with the latter having the best economy rate at just 7.63. 

GT’s predicted playing XI vs RR in Qualifier 2, IPL 2026:

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna 

Impact Player: Rahul Tewatia