IPL 2026 | Final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans | Preview and Predictions

After 73 matches, 27134 runs and 864 wickets, we’ve finally reached the last hurdle as the two best teams in this season’s competition go head-to-head one last time, with the winners set to lift their second IPL title as Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.  

Indian Premier League 2026 | Final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans | 19:30 IST, 31th May

Having already registered a resounding victory over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, Rajat Patidar’s RCB will be coming into this final with a lot of confidence behind them. Moreover, it was the manner in which they dominated GT throughout the 40 overs that impressed many. 

Venkatesh Iyer – replacing Jacob Bethell at the top of the 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 their batting prowess. 

Kohli has once again amassed 600+ runs in an IPL season while both Padikkal and Patidar are close to breaching the 500-runs barrier – that too while maintaining a strike-rate above 175. That said, both Tim David and Krunal Pandya have also provided the team with crucial runs when needed, however, wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma’s barren run has no end in sight. 

In the bowling department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues to lead the wicket-takers chart and now sits in second behind Kagiso Rabada for the Purple Cap race. The decision to re-introduce Jacob Duffy as a new ball bowler 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 Dar Salam – in particular – have stepped up their game in recent times – making this one formidable bowling attack. 

As for their opponents, the Qualifier 1 hammering at the hands of RCB reminded GT supporters how heavily reliant they are as a team on their 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, they roared back in style against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 to make it three IPL finals in five years for this franchise. Sai Sudharshan – last season’s Orange Cap winner – could well be leading this season’s charts as well, had it not been for the two bizarre hitwicket dismissals he suffered in both knockout fixtures. That said, skipper Shubman Gill put the disappointment of Q1 behind him with a match-winning 104(53) – helping his side chase down 215 inside 19 overs. 

In the bowling attack, after a disappointing IPL 2025 and international calendar, South African international Kagiso Rabada has turned back the clock with some of his fiery spells. The 31-year-old has already picked up 28 wickets and sits nine clear of Rashid in second with 19 wickets. 

That said, the turning point for GT – especially with the ball – has to be the introduction of Jason Holder. The tall Caribbean has picked up 17 wickets in just 10 games – while going at 7.54 runs per over. Besides, this bowling attack – along with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna – especially at the Narendra Modi Stadium has been a different proposition altogether. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, conditions are expected to be warm and humid in Ahmedabad. The wickets here at the Narendra Modi Stadium have generally been good for batting with a bit of extra bounce and carry for the seamers. Besides, the last couple of finals at this venue have been high-scoring affairs, thus expect another runfest. 

Looking ahead to this crucial fixture, it all boils down to these last 40 overs of cricket – unless we get Super Overs. Despite Qualifier 1 resulting in a one-sided affair, there’s very little to choose between the two. Both teams heavily rely on their top three/four to do the bulk of the scoring while they possess 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 in my opinion. They’ve won their last four games there 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 Sudharshan, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Rajat Patidar (vc), Jos Buttler, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada, Rasikh Dar Salam, Prasidh Krishna 

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 

Winners Prediction: Gujarat Titans