Gujarat Titans have been labelled a “set template” side, but assistant coach Parthiv Patel is not buying into that narrative ahead of their IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 showdown against the Rajasthan Royals on Friday, May 29. Patel insists the Titans operate with a clear identity of their own, arguing that the way the franchise goes about its business has always been consistent—just not necessarily predictable. After finishing second in the league stage standings, Gujarat were hit hard in Qualifier 1, going down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 92 runs. Now, their path to the final depends on overcoming Rajasthan, with a potential rematch looming against the defending champions.
Rajasthan arrive in this do-or-die contest fresh from a dominant win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, powered largely by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 97 off 29 balls—an innings that came within one score of becoming the joint-fastest century in IPL history. This will be the third playoff meeting between the teams, with both prior clashes occurring in 2022, the year Gujarat made their debut. In that first postseason meeting, the Titans edged the Royals in Qualifier 1, before going on to beat them again in the final. This time around, Gujarat’s momentum through the tournament has been built around an unusually steady opening platform, with Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan repeatedly setting the tempo. In the bowling department, Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj have delivered at the front, while Jason Holder provides the all-round balance that fits the Titans’ middle-overs plans. Rashid Khan, meanwhile, is nearing the form he is known for after a less memorable last campaign.
Even so, Patel believes it is misleading to describe Gujarat’s batting as formulaic, especially when compared with a more aggressive Royals unit. He points to the Titans’ league-stage consistency and their ability to execute the brand of cricket they believe in, regardless of the opposition. “We were sitting pretty at number 2 on the points table,” Patel said. “I know other teams can think whatever they want to think. There are six teams who have not qualified also. And I know the references which we have come from.” He added that finishing second mattered because it reflected a specific style of play and a team belief system. “We have finished number two. And we know what kind of cricket we want to play. And we back ourselves to give results.” Patel also underlined Gujarat’s track record since the franchise began: winning the title on debut, finishing as runners-up the very next year, and returning to the playoffs again last season. “Everybody has their different way of playing. We have our own style of playing,” he said.
All the attention, naturally, is on Sooryavanshi, who has already shown he can raise his game in high-pressure knockout moments—having produced a match-altering Eliminator innings at the same venue earlier in the season. Yet Patel tried to reduce the noise around his impact by refusing to discuss any specific plan to counter him. “I am not a broadcaster now, so I can’t tell you what the plans are,” Patel said. “But it looks good the way he is batting, hopefully we will try to dismiss him early. As all the teams have planned, we have seen the videos, hopefully we will execute our plan. But what it exactly is, we’ll only be able to show on the ground.”
When asked again about Sooryavanshi, Patel also made a point about how conversations around the youngster’s age have been handled. “I am very happy to see the way he is playing. Last time I said that we should not be talking about his age. I think that’s something which we need to put an end to it. He has been a phenomenal talent just the way he has been playing. It’s great to see,” he said. From the Royals’ perspective, Patel offered a simple hope for Gujarat’s bowlers: “From the opposition’s point of view, we hope that he doesn’t get going tomorrow.”
Sooryavanshi is currently in possession of the Orange Cap, but Gujarat’s Sudharsan remains right behind him in the race for impact at the top. The contrast between their strike rates, however, is stark—Sudharsan’s 157.86 versus Sooryavanshi’s 242.85—highlighting two different but effective batting blueprints. On the day before the match, Sudharsan did not take part in batting during the nets, as is common for him, but did come out to the main pitch for a brief session of shadow batting. Without a bat in hand, he spent time refining his mechanics, testing a range of options from lofted drives and quick flicks to pull shots and even ramps. Patel was asked whether there is any push to speed up Sudharsan’s scoring tempo, and he made it clear that Gujarat do not treat anyone’s game as a copy-and-paste job. “No, I don’t think there is any kind of temptation to tell Sai Sudharsan to go at a higher strike-rate,” Patel said. “He has been very effective. He has been scoring at a fair strike-rate also. It’s not that he is scoring under 100. If someone is scoring at 300, it doesn’t mean that everyone has to strike at 300. But he has been very effective. He is giving us results. So, there is no talk about telling Sudharsan that you need to go higher than 170 strike rate or 200.”
With the ball, Gujarat’s overseas stars have been central to their success. Rashid Khan and Jason Holder have formed crucial pieces of the Titans’ bowling puzzle, particularly in the middle overs. Statistically, Gujarat have been the leading bowling unit during that phase this season, taking 49 wickets—the most by any team—at an average of 24.67, which is also the best among all franchises. Rashid has been part of the setup since the beginning, and while he took nine wickets in 2025 at 57.11, his numbers this year have improved dramatically to 19 wickets at 23.47. Patel explained that last season was difficult for Rashid mainly because he was returning from a back injury, but said the recovery has clearly helped him get back to his best. “(After recovery) he has been bowling brilliantly, he has been working really hard. In fact, even today he is here at the training, so we know the kind of bowler he is and how hungry he is to contribute. He always wants to be in the action, he always wants those difficult situations,” Patel said. He added that the confidence in Rashid has remained constant. “And that’s the reason why he has been bowling well. There is not a question of Rashid’s skill level at all. We have full trust in him, that’s the reason why he is still part of the GT setup since the inception.”
Holder, too, has brought a steady edge to Gujarat’s bowling and batting balance. It is a homecoming of sorts, with the all-rounder missing the last two IPL seasons before joining the Titans. With 15 wickets, he is just one wicket away from his personal best for the year. Patel said the plan to secure Holder was made even before the auction, based on his recent form in T20 leagues. “Even before going for the auction, we had planned to have Jason Holder as our main pick. We know that in the last 1.5 years, Jason Holder has been in good form in the T20 leagues. He brings experience as well,” Patel said. He stressed the value of having a player who can contribute across phases—bowling in the Powerplay, handling the middle overs, taking wickets regularly, and offering batting depth when required. “It’s very important for the combination if you have someone who can bowl in the Powerplay as well, the middle overs, is an out-and-out wicket-taker, and can bat as well,” Patel added. “Obviously, after that decision (to get him in), a lot of things have changed for us. And we are glad that Holder has performed in this way.”
Gujarat now want to shake off their first setback of the playoffs and push through Rajasthan to reopen their route to the final. If they can do that, they would become only the fourth team in IPL history to lift the trophy after playing Qualifier 2. Asked what Gujarat can truly take from the defeat against RCB, Patel joked that the best approach is to avoid carrying anything positive or negative from that match into the next game. “Only one (good) thing I can say is that (Rahul) Tewatia spent time in the middle (he hit 68 off 43). Obviously, there have been a lot of questions about the middle order,” he said. “Otherwise, in Playoff games, whether it’s Rajasthan or us, you have to leave that game behind and try and look forward,” Patel concluded.
