IPL Fantasy 2026: Fantasy XI for Match 71: Qualifier 1 – RCB vs GT

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) square off with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 on Tuesday, May 26, at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

Our last-minute call to back Saurabh Dubey over Varun Chakravarthy earned us a few extra points in the final group-stage fixture.

Players playing in Match 70: Cameron Green (KKR) (BAT) (8 Credits), KL Rahul (DC) (WK) (10 Credits), and Saurabh Dubey (KKR) (BOWL) (7 Credits).

Captain: KL Rahul | Vice-Captain: Cameron Green.

Total Points: 23,092.5

Transfer Deadline: Tuesday, May 26, 7.30 pm IST

Note: The suggested team may change depending on the toss or other unexpected team news. Any such changes will be updated for the next match day.

IPL Fantasy 2026 – Fantasy XI for Match 71 – RCB vs GT: Thoughts and Captaincy Tips

Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler (GT) (10 Credits), Dhruv Jurel (RR) (9 Credits), and Ishan Kishan (SRH) (10.5 Credits).

Batters: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) (9 Credits), Virat Kohli (RCB) (11 Credits), and Sai Sudharsan (GT) (10 Credits).

All-Rounders: Jason Holder (GT) (8 Credits) and Venkatesh Iyer (RCB) (9 Credits)

Bowlers: Sakib Hussain (SRH) (7 Credits), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) (9 Credits), and Yash Raj Punja (RR) (7 Credits).

Credits Remaining: 0.5

With unlimited transfers allowed between the end of the group stage and Qualifier 1, IPL Fantasy managers have the opportunity to completely reset and optimize their teams for the final run-in. We’re going with six players from this match and five from the Eliminator (SRH-RR) on our team.

Despite the quality of both bowling attacks, we expect a somewhat high-scoring outing in Dharamsala, and are hence, picking four batting options. It’s always hard to leave out even one of the GT top three, but Shubman Gill is the player we’re choosing to omit for this fixture.

Sai Sudharsan smashed a hundred against RCB earlier in the season, and is in outstanding form coming into this match. Buttler looked in terrific touch in GT’s final group-stage outing as well, and will look to deliver on the big stage like he has done on countless occasions in the past.

Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are shoo-ins from the RCB camp, and so too is Jason Holder, who won the POTM award in the two sides’ most recent meeting.

Venkatesh Iyer is a player who could be a valuable differential pick for our teams. He has delivered regardless of his batting position for RCB this season, and looks set to play another impactful innings at the top of the order alongside Kohli.

From the SRH-RR fixture, we’re backing both wicket-keepers to have productive outings with the bat in Mullanpur, with Ishan Kishan registering scores of 91 and 74 against RR earlier in the season. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a 37-ball 103 against SRH, and will look to repeat the feat in a crunch knockout clash.

To accommodate some of these expensive picks, we’re turning to the rising stars in the bowling units of both teams, who’re priced affordably at seven credits. Sakib Hussain is sure to trouble the RR batters throughout the game, and is a strong candidate to finish the match as the highest wicket-taker.

We’re also leaning towards a punt on Yash Raj Punja over Brijesh Sharma, with the leg-spinner putting in some impressive performances to help RR make it to the playoffs. Mullanpur has been a helpful venue for the spinners, and Yash could taste success against a heavily attacking SRH batting order.

Captaincy for Match 71: All four batting options are quality captaincy picks for this clash, with Sudharsan’s terrific form putting him at the top of the list. Jason Holder could also be an option if the wicket offers some assistance to the seamers.

We still have to use both of our Triple Captain boosters, and with plenty of options to choose from, this could be a good game to use it in. That’s a call we’ll take post the toss and after viewing the lineups of both teams.

IPL Fantasy 2026 – Fantasy XI for Match 71 – RCB vs GT: Final Lineup

Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler (GT) (10 Credits), Dhruv Jurel (RR) (9 Credits), and Ishan Kishan (SRH) (10.5 Credits).

Batters: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) (9 Credits), Virat Kohli (RCB) (11 Credits), and Sai Sudharsan (GT) (10 Credits).

All-Rounders: Jason Holder (GT) (8 Credits) and Venkatesh Iyer (RCB) (9 Credits).

Bowlers: Sakib Hussain (SRH) (7 Credits), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) (9 Credits), and Yash Raj Punja (RR) (7 Credits).

Note: The players named in bold are expected to play in this game.