Former India opener Virender Sehwag believes Gujarat Titans hold a major advantage over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the bowling department ahead of the much-anticipated Qualifier 1 clash in IPL 2026. According to Sehwag, Gujarat’s disciplined and consistent pace attack gives them an edge in pressure situations, while RCB’s bowling unit still carries question marks despite the team finishing in the top two.
The former Indian opener especially pointed towards GT’s ability to dominate games during the powerplay overs, something he believes has separated them from several teams this season. Sehwag also warned that RCB’s recent bowling collapse against Sunrisers Hyderabad should not be ignored completely, even if the franchise chooses to treat it as an off-day.
RCB’s inconsistent bowling worries Virender Sehwag
RCB entered the playoffs after suffering a crushing 55-run defeat against SRH in their final league-stage game. Hyderabad piled up a massive 255 runs, exposing Bengaluru’s bowling frailties at a crucial stage of the tournament. While RCB possess experienced bowlers like Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sehwag believes the side has struggled to maintain consistency throughout the season. The team has conceded 200-plus totals in nearly half of their matches, which reflects a recurring issue rather than an isolated concern.
Against SRH, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar had a particularly difficult outing, conceding a combined 106 runs in eight overs without taking a wicket. Sehwag said RCB would hope such a performance remains a one-off incident, but he also stressed that another similar display in the playoffs could prove disastrous.
He explained that shorter boundaries and high-scoring conditions in knockout games could further increase pressure on RCB’s bowlers. According to Sehwag, if Bengaluru fail to control the scoring rate early, strong batting sides could once again take the game away from them.
“That could be just a rare off-day, so they should accept that they had a bad day where Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood both did not pick up any wickets, no one bowled well that day,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
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Sehwag on why GT have a stronger bowling attack
Sehwag reserved special praise for Gujarat Titans’ pace attack, led by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. The duo has been instrumental in GT’s successful IPL 2026 campaign, regularly dismantling opposition batting line-ups in the powerplay. Rabada has enjoyed an outstanding season with 24 wickets in 14 matches and has consistently delivered breakthroughs with the new ball. The South African pacer also equalled the IPL record for most powerplay wickets in a single season after claiming 17 wickets inside the first six overs.
Siraj, meanwhile, has complemented Rabada perfectly with his accuracy and relentless pressure. He has picked up 17 wickets this season while maintaining an impressive economy rate. More importantly, Siraj has bowled 148 dot balls in just 306 deliveries — the highest by any bowler in the tournament so far.
Sehwag believes this ability to choke runs and attack simultaneously gives GT a stronger and more balanced bowling unit than RCB. He noted that Gujarat’s bowlers have consistently allowed the team to dictate matches early, reducing pressure on their middle overs and batting department.
“So, they should look to forget that and move on. But if it happens again in the playoffs, they might concede more than 255 there, because the boundaries are quite short. So, it is important for RCB that their bowling works, because GT’s bowling is quite good. RCB have to be careful,” added Sehwag.
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