IPL 2026 Final | RCB vs GT | Preview and Predictions
After 73 matches, 27,134 runs, and 864 wickets, we’ve finally reached the last step as the two best teams of the 2026 Indian Premier League season face off one last time, with the winners set to lift their second IPL title.
For the 2026 IPL final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, here we present our preview and predictions.
Indian Premier League 2026 | Final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans | 19:30 IST, 31 May 2026
Having already registered a resounding victory over the Titans in Qualifier 1, Rajat Patidar-led RCB come into this final with a lot of confidence, especially given the manner in which they dominated GT throughout the 40 overs, which impressed many.
Venkatesh Iyer, replacing Jacob Bethell at the top of the RCB batting order, has been a breath of fresh air with his fearless brand of cricket, while the trio of Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, and skipper Patidar has been the backbone of the team’s batting prowess.
Kohli has once again amassed 600+ runs in an IPL season, while both Padikkal and Patidar are close to breaching the 500-run barrier while maintaining strike rates above 175. Both Tim David and Krunal Pandya have also provided the team with crucial runs lower down the order when needed, though wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma’s barren run does not seem to have an end in sight.
In the bowling department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues to lead RCB’s wicket-takers’ chart and is sitting second behind Kagiso Rabada in the Purple Cap standings. The decision to reintroduce Jacob Duffy as a new-ball bowler also paid dividends immediately, as the tall Kiwi seamer picked up three wickets in Qualifier 1 to break the back of GT’s reply early on.
Apart from these two, the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, and Rasikh Salam have stepped up their game in recent times, making the RCB bowling attack that much more formidable.
As for their opponents, the Qualifier 1 hammering reminded GT supporters how heavily reliant the team have been on the top-three batters. With the top three back in the dugout inside five overs, GT were bundled over for just 162, with Rahul Tewatia’s knock of 68 giving the GT scorecard some respectability.
However, the Titans roared back in style against the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 to make it three IPL finals in five years. Sai Sudharsan, last season’s Orange Cap winner, would arguably be leading this season’s charts as well had it not been for the two bizarre hit-wicket dismissals he has suffered in the two Playoffs games. That said, skipper Shubman Gill put the disappointment of Qualifier 1 behind him with a match-winning 104 off 53 balls, helping his side chase down 215 inside 19 overs.
In the GT bowling attack, after a disappointing season and international calendar last year, South Africa international Kagiso Rabada has come back roaring with some fiery spells. The 31-year-old has already picked up 28 wickets and sits nine clear of Rashid Khan, who is GT’s second-highest wicket-taker with 19 wickets.
That said, the turning point for GT, especially with the ball, has been the introduction of Jason Holder. The tall Barbadian has picked up 17 wickets in just ten games while going at 7.54 runs per over. Besides, this bowling attack, along with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, at the Narendra Modi Stadium always turns out to be a different proposition altogether.
In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, conditions are expected to be warm and humid in Ahmedabad for the game. The wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium have generally been good for batting, while carrying a bit of extra bounce and carry for seamers. Besides, the last couple of finals at this venue have been high-scoring affairs, so expect another run-fest.
Looking ahead to this crucial fixture, it all boils down to these last 40 overs of cricket — unless we go to Super Over(s). Despite Qualifier 1 resulting in a one-sided affair, there’s very little to choose between the two sides on paper. Both teams heavily rely on their top-order batters to do the bulk of the scoring, while also possessing arguably the two best bowling attacks in the competition.
Although most experts would back RCB to go back-to-back, GT’s form at the Narendra Modi Stadium makes them slight favourites for the win here, in my opinion. They’ve won their last four games at this venue, and quite convincingly. Moreover, it’s the GT bowlers that RCB have to be wary of if they want to beat them in their own den.
Fantasy XI: Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Rajat Patidar (vc), Jos Buttler, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada, Rasikh Salam, Prasidh Krishna
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Winners Prediction: Gujarat Titans
