Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Gujarat Titans in the final of the Indian Premier League 2026 on Sunday evening. The championship match is scheduled for the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. RCB booked their place in the summit clash by beating GT in Qualifier 1, winning the game by 92 runs. Gujarat Titans, meanwhile, made full use of their second opportunity, defeating Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to set up a title showdown with the Rajat Patidar-led side, which is looking to extend its winning run for a second straight victory.
An Instagram post from Aryaman Birla, the co-owner of RCB, has been drawing heavy attention online. The Aditya Birla Group holds a stake in the franchise, while Birla Estates—its real estate arm—acts as the principal sponsor for Gujarat Titans. Birla wrote on the platform, “Sorry @birlaestates today is red day,” alongside a graphic showing GT captain Shubman Gill and RCB skipper Rajat Patidar lifting the IPL 2026 trophy.
The IPL 2026 final, therefore, has a compelling headline duel: RCB captain Rajat Patidar against GT captain Shubman Gill. Both are highly skilled international-level players, yet their paths in Indian cricket have unfolded in distinctly different ways as the tournament reaches its peak.
The title match between RCB and GT could also carry wider implications for India’s T20I plans, as the clash brings together a Madhya Pradesh domestic veteran and the so-called “Prince” of Indian cricket. Patidar has been considered a long-term T20I option, but he has struggled to secure a consistent role in a crowded group of aggressive batters, despite showing he can strike the ball brilliantly.
Gill, on the other hand, has been widely viewed as the successor to Virat Kohli’s standards—positioned as a potential next all-format star and future captain. However, his T20I performances have not been enough to keep him in the immediate mix, and he was left out of the Indian XI shortly before the T20 World Cup earlier this year. From the sidelines, he watched India claim back-to-back titles.
Patidar enters the final in the form of his life in IPL 2026. As a middle-order batter, he has piled up 486 runs across 14 matches and 13 innings, posting an average of 44.18 while striking at 196.76. His tally includes five half-centuries, highlighted by a devastating 33-ball 93 not out against GT in Qualifier 1.
GT captain Gill has also turned things around in IPL terms, producing his most intense season yet. After a less impactful period in T20Is following his return to the setup during the Asia Cup as vice-captain, he managed 291 runs in 15 innings at an average of 24.25, striking at over 137, with a highest score of 47. That stretch eventually saw him dropped from India’s T20 side, but IPL 2026 has changed his trajectory.
In this year’s tournament, Gill has responded with 722 runs at an average of 48.13, along with a career-best strike rate of 163.71. His run includes a century and six fifties, featuring 33 sixes—tied for the most in a single IPL season. He has struck 105 boundaries overall, with 72 fours coming off 441 balls, giving him a boundary-per-ball rate of 4.2, the best figure of his IPL career.
