India, May 26 -- Seventy league matches have reduced IPL 2026 to its first great knockout hinge. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans meet in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala, with a direct passage to the final on offer and one defeat still carrying the safety net of Qualifier 2. The cricketing frame is already large enough. The emotional frame makes it larger.

Virat Kohli against Shubman Gill is no longer just a batting comparison. It is the King against the Prince, but not in the lazy, ornamental sense. Kohli remains the grand old force of IPL batting, still shaping RCB's innings with control, tempo and presence. Gill, now GT's captain and primary run-maker, has moved from succession debate to present-tense authority. The numbers do...