NEW DELHI: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has raised concerns over the timing of the IPL 2026 final, arguing that the title match could have been moved back by one day to create a more level contest. His comments came after Gujarat Titans faced travel problems linked to weather and a demanding playoff run that left them with limited time to prepare.
Gujarat Titans headlined Sunday’s final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru with under 24 hours to get ready. The team reached Ahmedabad late on Saturday evening after weather-related disruptions delayed their journey from Chandigarh, leaving them short on recovery time ahead of the biggest match of the season.
The Titans had already secured their place in the summit clash by beating Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday night in New Chandigarh. However, heavy rainfall across parts of north-western India interfered with their travel plans and prevented their charter flight from leaving as planned on Saturday afternoon.
Instead of arriving in Ahmedabad with enough time for rest and preparation, Gujarat Titans only checked into their hotel in Gandhinagar late at night, with the final looming.
Gavaskar urges a fairer solution
Gavaskar said the unusual circumstances made a scheduling adjustment necessary, especially since a reserve day was available for the final. “Yes, definitely,” Gavaskar said when asked if the match should have been pushed back by a day. “Make no mistake, players require rest. You didn’t know when your flight was taking off, so there was anxiousness. Which means you are mentally also off apart from the physical toll.”
The batting great also stressed that the disruption was not of Gujarat’s making, and he suggested that moving the final by a day would have allowed the players to reset both physically and mentally. “I thought with a reserve day in place, considering what happened was completely unexpected, they could have pushed the final to tomorrow, just to be a little fair to the Gujarat Titans team,” he added.
Qualifier 1 advantage under the spotlight
The situation has once again underlined the growing edge teams appear to gain by winning Qualifier 1. RCB booked a direct route to the final by defeating Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, which also gave them close to five full days to rest, recover and build their preparations for the title match.
Gujarat, by contrast, had a far tougher travel and preparation cycle. After losing Qualifier 1, they had to travel from Dharamsala to New Chandigarh, and then they moved to Ahmedabad after securing victory in Qualifier 2.
Traditionally, IPL playoffs are conducted across two venues, which helps reduce the amount of travel required for teams. This season, though, the knockout stages were spread across three different cities, increasing the logistical burden for the franchises.
The trend has also been reflected in outcomes. The winner of Qualifier 1 has gone on to win the IPL title in each of the last eight seasons, adding weight to the argument that the current playoff arrangement increasingly benefits the side that reaches the final first.
