IPL 2026: After 70 league matches, the picture of IPL 2026 playoffs has become clear. Four teams have been decided. Due to being ranked first and second in the points table, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will face each other in the first qualifier. However, the journey of the team that loses in the first qualifier will not end in IPL 2026.
Actually, according to the rules of IPL, the teams standing first and second in the points table get a chance to play in the first qualifier. The team that loses in the first qualifier is not out of the tournament, but gets the advantage of being in the top-2. The team that loses in the first qualifier gets a chance to play in the second qualifier, where it faces the team that wins the eliminator. For this reason, whichever team among RCB and GT loses in the first qualifier, it will get another chance to reach the finals.
RCB’s performance in this tournament has been excellent. The defending champion team, led by Rajat Patidar, has made it to the playoffs for the second consecutive time. RCB won 9 out of 14 matches played in the league stage, while the team had to face defeat in 5 matches. The team stood first in the points table on the basis of 18 points and better net run rate.
Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal’s performance with the bat this season has been excellent for RCB. Kohli has scored 557 runs in 14 matches playing at a strike rate of 163. At the same time, captain Rajat Patidar has also made important contributions with the bat. Tim David has played the role of finisher very well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s magic in bowling has worked wonders this season. Bhuvneshwar has got good support from Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam.
At the same time, under the leadership of Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans won 9 out of 14 matches and the team stood second in the points table with 18 points. The performance of the opening pair of Sai Sudarshan and Gill has also been tremendous this season. Sudarshan has scored 638 runs in 14 matches, while Shubhman Gill has scored 616 runs in 13 matches. Jos Buttler has also appeared in great form in IPL 2026. GT’s biggest strength in the last few matches has been its bowling. The pair of Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada has troubled the batsmen a lot.