IPL 2026 Final Preview: RCB vs GT; who’ll lift the trophy for the 2nd time? Check head-to-head, pitch report, more

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final tonight. Rajat Patidar’s passionate squad will clash with Shubman Gill’s pumped-up boys. The IPL 2026 Final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

This is Gujarat’s home ground. But, wherever RCB play, it becomes their home turf because of the massive fan following. So, the home advantage factor can be easily ruled out. It’s anyone’s game here.

The match will be broadcast on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar. Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is the world’s largest cricket stadium. It can host around 1,32,000 cricket fans.

RCB's highest team total against GT is 254. Their lowest score in this fixture is 155. GT's highest score against RCB is 205. Their lowest total is 147.

The two sides have met 3 times already in IPL 2026. RCB won Qualifier 1 on 26 May by a massive 92 runs in Dharamshala. They posted a playoff record of 254/5 that day.

GT won the league-stage encounter on 30 April by 4 wickets in Ahmedabad. RCB won the earlier league fixture on 24 April by 7 wickets in Bengaluru.

Virat Kohli leads all run-scorers in this fixture with over 430 runs against GT. Mohammed Siraj remains the leading wicket-taker across these encounters.

Bengaluru won just 1 of those 4 finals, losing 3. Their maiden championship finally arrived in 2025, ending one of Indian cricket's most talked-about title droughts.

Their final appearances span nearly two decades of IPL history. The earliest came in 2009, when they lost to Deccan Chargers by 6 runs at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

Two years later, they lost again, this time by 58 runs to Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The 2016 final was perhaps the most painful of all. Playing at their home ground, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by just 8 runs.

Relief finally arrived in 2025, when they beat the Punjab Kings by 6 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Three of their four defeats came by single-digit margins. That pattern of narrow losses defined RCB's finals story for over a decade.

In terms of individual performances across finals, Virat Kohli stands above everyone else. He has scored 139 runs across 4 final innings at an average of 34.75, making him RCB's leading run-scorer in title matches.

Chris Gayle holds the highest individual score by an RCB batter in a final. He smashed 76 off 38 balls against SRH in 2016.

Anil Kumble's 4/16 against Deccan Chargers in 2009 remains the best bowling figures by any RCB player in a final.

They have featured in 2 previous finals, winning 1 and losing 1. Both earlier finals were played at their home ground, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Their finals journey started brilliantly in their debut season. In 2022, they beat the Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets at Ahmedabad to claim their first IPL title.

The following year brought heartbreak. In 2023, they lost to Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets via the DLS method, also at Ahmedabad.

GT's highest team score in a final is 214/4, posted against CSK in 2023. Sai Sudharsan holds the highest individual score by a GT batter in a final, scoring 96 off 47 balls against CSK that same year.

Hardik Pandya's 3/17 against Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 final remains the best bowling figures by any GT player in a title match.

GT: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna (Impact Player)

Virat Kohli (RCB): The legendary anchor has scored 600 runs this season at an average of 50. His finals experience and spin-tackling ability make him RCB's most vital weapon tonight.

Phil Salt (RCB): Salt has been missing in action for more than 3 weeks due to a finger injury. He is expected to open with Virat tonight. The explosive English wicketkeeper has scored 202 runs in 6 matches this season, at a strike rate of 168.33.

Shubman Gill (GT): The GT captain has scored a remarkable 722 runs this season at an average of 48.13. His textbook timing and placement consistently dismantle opposition bowling attacks in the power play. After scoring a match-winning century against the Rajasthan Royals, his confidence must be sky-high.

Sai Sudharsan (GT): GT's most consistent batter has accumulated 710 runs this season at an average of 47.33. His ability to anchor the innings while maintaining a strike rate of 159.55 is invaluable. If he doesn’t throw his bat to the stumps, he can be lethal.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB): The veteran swing bowler has taken 26 wickets this season at an average of 18.15. His ability to extract early movement makes him dangerous in tonight's power play.

Kagiso Rabada (GT): The South African speedster has claimed 28 wickets this season at an average of 20.79. His raw pace and pinpoint yorkers make him GT's most dangerous weapon tonight.

Fast bowlers will find genuine swing and seam movement with the new ball early. Once that initial movement settles, the surface becomes a high-scoring batting paradise. Expansive square boundaries give spinners a fair buffer when maintaining tight lines in the middle overs.

The temperatures will peak at 41°C during the day, then cool to 31°C by evening. Rain probability is near zero, guaranteeing a full and uninterrupted 40-over final. Skies will remain generally clear with occasional localised cloud cover.

Dew is the defining tactical factor tonight. Humidity hovering around 52% will cause dew to settle on the outfield during the second innings.

The ball becomes slippery and significantly easier to hit under those conditions. The toss winner is highly likely to bowl first tonight.