The stage is set for a historic finale to the 2026 season. On one side stands Royal Challengers Bengaluru, looking to etch their name into immortality by becoming only the third team in IPL history (after CSK and MI) to successfully defend their crown. On the other is the hometown heavyweight, Gujarat Titans, fighting to reclaim the trophy they first hoisted in 2022.
RCB vs GT IPL Final Overview
The essential facts and broadcast details for the IPL 2026 championship match are summarized in the table below.
| Match Component | Details |
| Fixture | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Gujarat Titans (GT) |
| Stage | Grand Final â Indian Premier League 2026 |
| Date | Sunday, May 31, 2026 |
| Toss | Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and elected to Bowl |
| Venue | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India (Capacity: 132,000) |
| On-Field Umpires | Nitin Menon, KN Anantha Padmanabhan |
| Third & Match Officials | Jayaraman Madanagopal (3rd Umpire), Javagal Srinath (Referee) |
| Live Streaming (India) | JioHotstar |
| Television Broadcast | Star Sports Network |
Both teams finished the league stage tied at the top with 18 points apiece, making this a true battle of the season’s two best heavyweights.
đ Head-to-Head & Form Guide (IPL 2026)
The rivalry has been intensely contested this season, with RCB holding a psychological edge following a massive statement victory in the playoffs.
- League Match 1 (M. Chinnaswamy): RCB won by 5 wickets chasing down 205.
- League Match 2 (Narendra Modi Stadium): GT bounced back at home, winning by 4 wickets.
- Qualifier 1 (Dharamshala): RCB dominated with a playoff-record total of 254/5, crushing GT by 92 runs to book a direct ticket to the final.
- Qualifier 2 (Chandigarh): GT took the hard road home, storming back into the final by chasing down 214 against Rajasthan Royals to win by 7 wickets.
Squad RCB vs GT
đŽ Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar
Bench (Remaining Squad): Venkatesh Iyer, Kanishk Chouhan, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Philip Salt, Richard Gleeson, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Mangesh Yadav, Satvik Deswal
đ” Gujarat Titans (GT)
Playing XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj
Bench (Remaining Squad): Prasidh Krishna, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Luke Wood, Connor Esterhuizen, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma
Venue & Pitch Conditions: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
With a massive capacity of 132,000 screaming fans, the venue offers a true grandstand atmosphere. The pitch generally offers superb carry and a true bounce, favoring hard-length fast bowlers early on before settling into an absolute paradise for stroke-makers. Boundaries are deceptively large square of the wicket, meaning heavy reliance on hard running and calculated risk-taking.
The Defending Champion’s Mentality: RCB entered this season with the unfamiliar weight of a title defense. By topping the league table and breaking the playoff scoring record, they have shown they aren’t just protecting their crownâthey are actively hunting a dynasty.
Winners Prediction
An 88.2% win probability heavily favors Royal Challengers Bengaluru, reflecting their complete dominance in the first innings. Keeping a dangerous Gujarat Titans lineup under a 7.5 run-per-over restriction on a big outfield like Ahmedabad severely cripples their options.
For Gujarat Titans to defend whatever below-par score they finish with, they will need an extraordinary, historic bowling performance. Their opening spell has to be flawless: Mohammed Siraj must find immediate movement to dismiss Virat Kohli early, and Rashid Khan will have to deliver a magical, multi-wicket squeeze in the middle overs to induce a panic collapse.
RCB will win this match and title for IPL 2026. With 88.2% chances are for RCB (Defending Champions firmly in control).
The stage is perfectly set for Royal Challengers Bengaluru to secure back-to-back IPL titles.