Rajasthan Royals batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has landed in Ahmedabad ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026 final, scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The teenager will be watching as Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
Sooryavanshi’s own campaign with RR ended in Qualifier 2, where the franchise fell to Gujarat by seven wickets. Despite delivering a standout innings of 96, he couldn’t push his side over the line, as the Titans’ chase was powered by Shubman Gill’s commanding century.
Quick facts
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is in Ahmedabad ahead of the IPL 2026 final.
- The final is at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
- Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans.
- RR reached Qualifier 2 but lost to Gujarat Titans by seven wickets.
- Sooryavanshi scored 96 in that Qualifier 2 defeat.
- Shubman Gill’s century in reply eclipsed Sooryavanshi’s knock.
On the day of the summit clash, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and chose to bowl first against Gujarat Titans. RCB kept the same playing XI that took the field previously, while GT made one enforced change to their bowling group.
Gujarat Titans brought in left-arm pacer Arshad Khan, replacing left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore. With the finalists looking to adjust their match plans for the surface, the decision set the tone early—Bengaluru would aim to apply pressure with the new ball while Gujarat looked to bat with intent.
Captains’ thoughts after the toss
Patidar said the wicket should suit fast scoring early, adding that while conditions might help batters, the key would be how quickly RCB could make inroads. He also spoke about staying calm in a final, focusing on controllables rather than getting lost in the occasion. He pointed to the atmosphere at the venue—especially the support from RCB’s travelling fans—and said the team combination would remain unchanged.
Gill, speaking after the toss, indicated that his preference would have been to bat first, describing the pitch as a good one for a final. He noted that it was the third game the teams had played on this track, with potential for some movement in the first couple of overs for the quicks before the wicket settled. Gill added that the squad felt fresh and ready, and confirmed the same change made by GT: Arshad Khan returning for Sai Kishore.
Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy, Rasikh Salam.
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Jason Holder, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj.
