New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Former India batter Ambati Rayudu believes the Gujarat Titans (GT) failed to play to their strength and made a mistake opting to bowl first after winning the toss in their crushing 92-run defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Tuesday.

RCB stormed into their second consecutive IPL final after posting a record-breaking 254/5 before bowling Gujarat Titans out for 162 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show after the match, Rayudu said the Gujarat Titans should have focused more on using their strongest weapon, their bowling attack, rather than trying to chase a massive target under playoff pressure.

For the record, both matches played earlier in the season at Dharamshala had been won by teams batting second, but Rayudu felt GT still would have benefited more from batting first if they had won the toss.

“I actually told a friend yesterday that the Gujarat Titans’ best chance would be to lose the toss. Because when you are a team with certain limitations, you have to stay within those limits. You should not try to overdo things just because it’s a playoff game,” Rayudu said.

Rayudu explained that Gujarat’s bowling unit has been the team’s biggest strength throughout the tournament and felt they should have trusted that strength more.

“They should have tried to put runs on the board and then allowed their bowlers to defend it because their bowling attack has been in tremendous form,” he said. “Even if they scored 180, 190, or 200, they would still have given themselves a much better chance,” he added.

The former Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians batter also recalled advice he received from former Australia captain Ricky Ponting during his time at the Mumbai Indians.

“I always remember Ricky Ponting telling us, ‘Under pressure, win the toss and bat.’ The Australians often believe in putting runs on the board first in big matches,” Rayudu said.

RCB’s aggressive batting approach completely overwhelmed the Gujarat Titans. Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, and Devdutt Padikkal gave RCB a fast start before captain Rajat Patidar smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 39 balls to take the total beyond 250.

Rayudu summed up his point by saying teams must understand their identity and avoid moving away from it during pressure situations. “What is your strength? If I cannot land a punch, but I can kick well, then I should only kick. Why should I try to land a punch?. You should always try to do what you are best at.”

Gujarat Titans will now look to recover quickly ahead of their next knockout fixture, while defending champions RCB head into the IPL 2026 final with strong momentum behind them.

–IANS

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