'The biggest battle in will be...': Deep Dasgupta highlights major threat for RCB ahead of Qualifier 1 vs GT

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will lock horns against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, May 26 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. It is going to be a thrilling clash, as both of the sides are playing two different brands of cricket in the ongoing season.

Deep Dasgupta predicts winner in RCB vs GT clash

Ahead of the mega clash, former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta has tried to pick a winner between the two mighty teams. In an interaction with JioHotstar, Dasgupta expressed that the contest in the powerplay will play a big role in deciding the winner of the game.

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While talking further, Dasgupta recalled how GT skipper Shubman Gill seemed comfortable against RCB's Josh Hazlewood in their last meeting, meanwhile Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked excellent, as he picked key wickets.

"The biggest battle in Qualifier 1 will be the Powerplay contest between Gujarat Titans’ top-order batters and the new-ball pairing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. In the previous game, Shubman Gill was outstanding against Hazlewood, while Bhuvneshwar picked up crucial wickets and created pressure early on," said Deep.

Dasgupta believes that the first six overs of both innings would decide the winner as both teams rely heavily on solid starts.

“Those first six overs could well decide the direction of the match because both teams rely heavily on strong starts. My gut feeling is that whichever team wins this game could go on to win the tournament," Dasgupta added.

RCB skipper drops update on Phil Salt's availability

Ahead of their crucial game against GT, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar has dropped a key update on their star opener Phil Salt's availability. The star opener has re-joined RCB after staying on the sidelines for a long time because of a thumb injury.

"Salt is fit, he is under observation. But we have not decided yet on our playing XI. We will look at the wicket and then we will decide," Patidar said in the pre-match press conference.

It will be interesting to see if Phil Salt can find a place in the playing XI after a big layoff.