Gujarat Titans assistant coach Vijay Dahiya said Qualifier 1 will see a battle between two equal teams and dismissed the notion that Royal Challengers Bengaluru will have an advantage, having played a league-stage contest at the HPCA Stadium here.

“There are many players across both teams who have played at this venue before and they will be aware of the conditions here. Both teams play as a unit, that is what stands out. The game is going to be a battle. Since there is a lot at stake, there is going to be pressure on both,” Dahiya said.

The coach added that the two sides have found themselves at the top end of the IPL 2026 table due to the consistency in their bowling. “You see teams putting runs on the board. But in the end, you need a solid bowling unit. You hardly see any changes in both the teams, and that is due to the bowlers’ self-belief and the faith put in by the captain and the management,” he said.

GT has picked the most PowerPlay wickets in the competition this year (38), thanks to some accurate bowling from Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. Dahiya said the two have formed a solid partnership on and off the pitch.

“They understand the game very well and what they need to do for the partner at the other end. They are different characters who come from different international environments and a lot of credit needs to be given to Ashish Nehra, the way he handles both of them,” the coach opined.

IPL 2026 has seen PowerPlay run-rates soar to an all-time high, with teams now scoring at 9.61 runs per over.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, turbocharged by a top three of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan, is at the forefront of it with an eye-watering PowerPlay run-rate of 11.16, the second-best in the league, only behind Rajasthan Royals.

Gujarat Titans’ assistant coach Vijay Dahiya acknowledged SRH’s early push as a major threat on the eve of the two sides’ meeting here on Tuesday.

“You can definitely see the way a couple of teams play. The intent is always there to dash off in the first six overs. And I think most of the teams, especially in the top six, are doing that. SRH is a very dangerous side. One thing which is there for them is that they play one way, which is just to go out there and play aggressively,” said Dahiya during the pre-match press conference.

Dahiya also pointed out that SRH’s aggressive charge could provide the home bowlers with a possible window of opportunity.

“We would be mindful of that [SRH’s approach]. That will give us a window as well. Our bowling unit will be keeping an eye on that. If the batter is doing everything, you don’t need to run after him.

“You just have to stick to the simple basic plans that you make. And all the plans are actually simple. They are not complicated. Execution sometimes becomes complicated,” he added.