IPL 2026: ‘GT becomes predictable on flat pitches’, says Tom Moody after Qualifier 1 defeat to RCB

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Former Australia cricketer and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) global director of cricket Tom Moody believes the Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack becomes predictable on flat batting surfaces, a weakness that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru exploited perfectly during their dominant win in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

RCB stormed into their second consecutive IPL final after posting a record-breaking 254/5 and then bowling Gujarat Titans out for 162 to secure a commanding 92-run victory at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking after the match, Moody said Gujarat’s bowling attack thrives when conditions offer movement but struggles badly on surfaces where there is little assistance for fast bowlers. “Their predictability is hurting them when the conditions are not to their liking,” Moody said during ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show.

He compared the Gujarat Titans’ bowling struggles to the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting problems on difficult pitches, saying both teams rely heavily on specific conditions to succeed. “It’s a bit like Sunrisers Hyderabad. When the surface starts doing a little bit, their batting line-up struggles. Gujarat are almost the bowling version of that,” Moody explained.

According to Moody, Gujarat’s pace attack, featuring Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada, becomes dangerous when there is seam movement or swing available, but on flat surfaces, they lack enough variation to trouble aggressive batting units.

“When there’s movement in the pitch, Siraj and Rabada become extremely difficult to face because they hit those hard lengths and create problems both inside and outside the bat,” he said.

“But on a very flat surface like this one, they become vulnerable because they don’t have extreme change-ups, slower balls, or deception as their main strength,” Moody added.

RCB’s batters attacked Gujarat’s bowling from the very beginning. Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, and Devdutt Padikkal gave the innings early momentum before captain Rajat Patidar completely took the game away with a sensational unbeaten 93 off just 39 balls.

Moody pointed out that Gujarat lacked bowlers with unpredictable, slower deliveries or variations that could force batters into mistakes on batting-friendly wickets. “They don’t really have those slower-ball specialists or bowlers with deceptive pace changes who can consistently create doubt in the batter’s mind on flat wickets,” Moody said.

“That’s why on surfaces where the ball is not doing much, teams can line them up more comfortably,” he added/

Gujarat Titans also struggled badly in the field, dropping catches and leaking extra runs through misfields and no-balls as RCB registered the highest total in IPL playoff history.

The defeat means the Gujarat Titans will now have to regroup quickly ahead of their next knockout clash, while RCB head into the IPL 2026 final carrying strong momentum.

–IANS

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