With under a day left before the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans are still not in the city, after a charter flight carrying the team was pushed back because of stormy conditions. The delay means GT’s arrival is expected late on Saturday night, marking a rare travel situation for a side heading into a title match.
Why Gujarat Titans are yet to reach Ahmedabad
The scheduled flight from Chandigarh to Ahmedabad was meant to transport the Gujarat Titans squad ahead of the final, but authorities grounded the charter due to heavy weather. The knock-on effect is that the team is likely to land only after 10:00 PM on Saturday, leaving them with a short window to settle before match preparations begin.
Report details: thunderstorms delay take-off
Gujarat Titans were expected to depart Chandigarh on Saturday afternoon. However, torrential rain and thunderstorms across north-western parts of India—particularly around Punjab and Rajasthan—meant airport officials were unable to grant take-off clearance. Several flights out of Chandigarh were pushed back as a result, and GT’s charter was among those impacted.
As per the report, the Titans are likely to touch down in Ahmedabad after 10 PM on Saturday, before travelling to their accommodation in Gandhinagar, which is roughly a 30-minute drive from the city. That means the team’s routine between arrival and hotel check-in will be compressed compared to a typical final-week schedule.
Final build-up: GT’s path to the decider and early-arrival talk
Gujarat Titans will take on RCB in a rematch of the earlier meeting from the same week’s play-off structure, with Bengaluru emerging victorious in Qualifier 1. GT earned their place in the final by defeating Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday, with captain Shubman Gill producing a standout century.
Speaking on the benefit of their timetable, Patidar suggested that arriving early does bring a measure of advantage, though he did not expect it to swing the contest heavily since both franchises have been playing high-quality cricket throughout.
- GT’s late arrival follows their win over Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday.
- They had qualified for the final with a century from captain Shubman Gill.
- RCB and GT will meet again after RCB won Qualifier 1 earlier in the week.
- Patidar said Qualifier 1 gave GT enough time to rest and recover, while also noting that the team is coming straight from Qualifier 2.
- He added that any advantage from the schedule would be limited because both teams have been excellent.
Scheduling shift: first time a side travels a day before the final
The situation is being highlighted as unusual because, for the first time, a team is dealing with travel to the final venue a day ahead of the title match. The backdrop is a change in how the league’s knockouts have been staged: the BCCI has opted to conduct three play-off matches across three different venues, rather than the two-venue approach used in previous editions.
