Former India captain Anil Kumble believes Rajasthan Royals (RR) will enter the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 as underdogs, but he has backed them to overcome Gujarat Titans (GT) and book a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi heads into IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 in red-hot form after his breathtaking 97 off just 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. The 15-year-old sensation now stands as the biggest obstacle between Gujarat Titans and a third IPL final appearance.
As Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans prepare to battle for a place in the title clash, the powerplay showdown between Sooryavanshi and GT’s pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada has emerged as the key tactical battle of the contest in New Chandigarh. With Sooryavanshi’s explosive starts often setting the tone for Rajasthan’s innings, Gujarat will be desperate to strike early.
Speaking on JioHotstar ahead of the high-stakes encounter, Kumble admitted that the contest is difficult to predict. However, he feels Rajasthan’s recent form and the presence of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could give them the edge.
“It’s a hard one to predict. It’s really hard because Rajasthan have done well, yet they still seem to be the underdogs. I think I’ll go with the underdogs. I’m still expecting Vaibhav to do what he did against SRH because if Vaibhav does that, Rajasthan will have the advantage,” Kumble said on JioHotstar.
Kumble, however, pointed out that Gujarat Titans possess a clear strategy to counter the teenage opener. He highlighted the threat posed by pace duo Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada with the new ball.
“GT have a very set plan. They have Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada bowling three overs each, and that’s where the game could change. They have done really well in Ahmedabad, where the conditions help the seam bowlers.”
“It didn’t happen for them in Dharamshala, but they’ll be hoping that if they consistently hit those lengths with the new ball, they can nick him off and get an early breakthrough,” he added.
Despite dominating Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada during the league stage, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could face a different challenge in Qualifier 2. The RR opener smashed Siraj for a first-ball six and took Rabada for consecutive maximums earlier this season. However, Gujarat Titans believe they have identified a weakness in the teenager’s game, the short ball. Siraj has previously dismissed Sooryavanshi using a hostile short-ball strategy, and GT are expected to deploy a similar tactic again, targeting his body with pace and bounce to restrict his free-flowing strokeplay in the powerplay.
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