Royal Challengers Bengaluru were named the home side because they are the defending champions, even though Gujarat Titans would normally play at their Ahmedabad base. With Rajat Patidar taking the toss, Shubman Gill ended up calling wrong, but the decision didn’t end up carrying much weight: RCB were keen to chase, while GT preferred to bat first after having lost Qualifier 1 and choosing to chase there—despite surrendering a target of more than 250.
Teams, selection news and title context
RCB made no changes to their playing XI from the previous game. Gujarat Titans, however, brought Arshad Khan back into the side. He had missed selection for the last two matches, where Kulwant Khejroliya and R Sai Kishore were given the spots instead. That pattern suggests a possible fitness concern earlier, which may have been behind Khejroliya’s inclusion in Qualifier 1—his first T20 appearance in over a year. GT did have Kishore listed as a potential Impact Player, meaning they still retained flexibility to add the extra spinner if the surface showed signs of grip and turn. If the pitch stayed relatively steady, Prasidh Krishna was the more likely replacement option during their defensive setup.
RCB were also without Phil Salt, as they had been throughout the tournament. Salt had injured his hand mid-season, went back for scans, returned to the squad, but may not have been at full fitness. In his absence, Venkatesh Iyer made a strong case with his form, including a blistering start in Qualifier 1—hitting the first two deliveries for boundaries en route to a quick-fire 19 off 9 balls.
In addition, RCB continued to keep legspin bowler Suyash Sharma on the sidelines in favour of the extra pace option, Jacob Duffy. Duffy had been impressive against the same opponents in Qualifier 1, collecting three wickets.
With both teams chasing a second IPL crown, the stakes were clear. For GT, this would be their third final in a span of five years since the franchise began.
Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt.), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam
RCB bench: Venkatesh Iyer, Kanishk Chohan, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (capt.), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj
GT bench: Prasidh Krishna, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, R Sai Kishore
