The Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals clash in Qualifier 2 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, and with rain always a factor in evening matches, many fans are already asking what the weather could change. Conditions are expected to stay in a comfortable band, with temperatures likely to settle between 29°C and 31°C as the match gets underway. The forecast also points to only a 20% likelihood of brief, isolated showers from around 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM, which could mean a short pause or even a delayed toss, but a total washout appears highly improbable. Even with those odds, the IPL’s knockout framework is designed to keep the contest moving and to protect the integrity of the result as much as possible.
How the IPL handles rain in knockout games
For playoff encounters, the league builds in extra breathing room by adding 120 minutes of buffer time. If rain pushes back the start or interrupts the action after it begins, match officials will first try to salvage a result by trimming the game to a reduced-overs format. To declare a proper outcome, each side must face at least five overs. The aim is to ensure that, even with delays, the match can still be completed in a way that meets the tournament’s minimum requirements.
However, the tournament’s plan also recognises that some weather situations can become unavoidable. If conditions worsen to the extent that even a Super Over cannot be carried out, the match is officially abandoned. In that particular case, progression is determined not by the toss or any partial play, but by league-stage performance: the franchise that finished higher on the points table at the end of the 2026 league phase moves straight to the final.
That league-stage rule is crucial for this tie. Gujarat Titans ended the league portion in second place with 18 points, while Rajasthan Royals finished fourth on 16 points. With those standings, a complete washout would send Gujarat Titans directly to the IPL 2026 Final, where they are scheduled to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Squads for Qualifier 2
Gujarat Titans have named Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Luke Wood, Connor Esterhuizen, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Manav Suthar, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, and Ashok Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals’ squad includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Riyan Parag (captain), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sushant Mishra, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja, Shubham Dubey, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Adam Milne, Shimron Hetmyer, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Emanjot Singh Chahal, and Vignesh Puthur.
With rain a possible spoiler but only for brief spells according to the current outlook, the match hinges on timing as much as execution. Follow live updates and the latest IPL news, including the ongoing race for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap, as Qualifier 2 builds toward its decisive outcome.
