New Chandigarh If Gujarat Titans relies on its core of consistent performers to win T20 matches, Rajasthan Royals’ hopes seem to ride primarily on the X-factor of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

It is perhaps a simplistic reading of the two franchises, but the neutral observer would certainly gravitate towards the latter simply because of the unadulterated thrill that Sooryavanshi’s stroke-making ability elicits.

When a query along these lines was put to Titans’ assistant coach Parthiv Patel on the eve of Qualifier 2, the former wicketkeeper-batter asserted that results vindicate the franchise’s approach.

“Every team has a different way of playing. We have been quite consistent about the way we go about our business. As long as we are getting results, we don’t have to think about whether we need an X-factor,” Parthiv said on Thursday.

“Other teams can think whatever they want to think. Even in the first half of the tournament, we were not doing great. But we still stuck to our process. We trust in our ability. If we execute our plans, we can win.”

Titans’ established template is facilitated by Sai Sudharsan’s voracious appetite for run-scoring at the top. He may not be as explosive as the young left-hander in the opposition, but Parthiv sees no need for the opener from Chennai to change tack.

“I don’t think there is any kind of temptation to tell Sai Sudharsan to go at a higher strike rate. If someone is striking at 300, it doesn’t mean that everyone has to,” said Parthiv.

In the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala on Tuesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s plan of attack against Gujarat Titans was palpable at the outset. Shubman Gill & Co. appear at ease exhibiting a more traditional template of T20 cricket, but can get dragged out of their comfort zone when circumstances demand a breakneck tempo of scoring.

The RCB top-order attacked Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada — the pair has often bowled all six overs of the PowerPlay in tandem this season — in the quest to make Titans press the panic button. Skipper Rajat Patidar picked up the baton on the back of a blazing start as RCB amassed 254 for five and clinched a 92-run win.

Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs no second invitation to attack up front. When Royals face Titans at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Qualifier 2 on Friday, therefore, the 15-year-old’s duel against the pair of Siraj and Rabada will possibly take centre-stage in shaping the narrative in what is expected to be a sultry evening. The wunderkind from Bihar is a generational talent of the kind not seen before in T20s, and finds himself just 20 shy of taking his campaign tally to 700 runs.

If, and it is a big if, GT can eliminate Sooryavanshi’s threat early, RR will have concerns. While Yashasvi Jaiswal (426) and Dhruv Jurel (508) have also done well, there has been a noticeable drop-off from the middle-order. Even on Wednesday, after Sooryavanshi’s 97 and Jurel’s 50, Royals failed to capitalise in the latter stages of its innings. The onus is on skipper Riyan Parag in this regard.

Titans have similar frailties in their middle-order, but Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler embrace the heavy-lifting at the top. If Jofra Archer can find a way past the front three, like he did in the Eliminator on Wednesday, Royals will be in prime position to deliver the knockout punch.

Even 45 dot balls couldn’t mask the lapses as many Gujarat Titans bowlers “were a little bit off their rhythm and lines in particular,” admitted batting coach Matthew Hayden after the six-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in a boundary-laden IPL contest on Saturday. Titans conceded 13 wides, which proved costly in a narrow defeat.

“Mohammed Siraj had an off-day. Simple as that. When we reviewed his pitch map, it was a little bit too short and a little bit too wide,” Hayden said.

The Australian felt that “the game was absolutely in the bag,” pointing to key decisions against an on-song Ravi Bishnoi (four for 41) and the costly run-out of Shahrukh Khan. The 54-year-old called for a “little bit of cohesion” in the “entire batting line-up,” adding that there was a need for “little attention to detail around winning a game amongst a partnership that does start.”

Hayden said that Kagiso Rabada (23 n.o.) “was magnificent with the bat,” and that he “showed, as a frontline bowler, that commitment to batting counts, especially in run chases.”

Player-of-the-Match Bishnoi revealed his most effective tactic on the night. “There was a big boundary on one side, and there were many left-handers in the opposition. So, I was trying to bowl googlies from middle and leg stumps. The attempt was to make the left-handers hit the balls going towards the longer end. B. Sai Sudharsan and Washi (Washington Sundar) both got out. So, the tactic that I discussed with the captain (Riyan Parag) and Dhruv Jurel worked,” Bishnoi said.