The culmination of the action-packed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 comes tonight as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Gujarat Titans in the title clash at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday in Ahmedabad. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had a fruitful campaign, and now they are only one victory away from creating history. After winning their maiden IPL crown last season, RCB are aiming to become the third team in tournament history to successfully defend the title. So far, only Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have managed to win consecutive IPL championships.
RCB are riding high on confidence following their dominant performance against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1. They came out with a clinical display in all departments to register a massive 92-run victory and secure a direct place in the championship match. In this season, RCB's prosperity has been made possible by the consistency of Virat Kohli, who has led from the front with the bat. The veteran star has amassed 600 runs and remains the backbone of the batting unit.
Captain Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal have also made noteworthy contributions, providing stability in crunch moments. Likewise, their bowling attack has been impressive. Experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has spearheaded the charge with 28 wickets, while the likes of Rasikh Dar, Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood have played key roles, controlling the things pretty well.
Gujarat Titans, meanwhile, have shown tremendous resilience to reach the final. They were undone by RCB in Qualifier 1; however, the former champions responded strongly by overcoming Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in Qualifier 2, booking their place in a third IPL final. Looking at GT's batting, it has been powered by a sensational opening partnership, led by captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.
Gill has enjoyed a stellar season with 722 runs; on the other hand, Sai Sudharsan has been in fiery form, blasting 710 runs. Their explosive starts have been a major factor behind Gujarat's impressive run to the final. In the bowling department, Gujarat will bank on the experience of Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. The trio, like they have done in the past games, will be tasked with containing RCB's brilliant batting lineup in their high-octane game.
RCB possible XII: Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam, Romario Shepherd
GT possible XII: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sandhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Rahul Tewatia