IPL Dispatch: RCB Look To Defend Indian Premier League Title In Ahmedabad Showdown; GT Seek To Overcome Delayed Arrival

Destiny beckons Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who can become only the third team to defend their Indian Premier League title when they face Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

It’s another big event to be hosted in Gujarat’s capital city, which has become the city of choice for most national-level events held in India. Ahmedabad has already hosted the Asian Weightlifting Championships in April. Now, it will also host the IPL final, which is the biggest franchise match in cricket.

The match was supposed to be held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium – RCB’s home stadium. Instead, it has been shifted to the home of their opponents, but the present “visitors” will still enter the match as slight favourites on paper.

Rajat Patidar wrote his name in RCB history after guiding the side to their first-ever IPL title last year. The Indore native will have the chance to repeat the trick on Sunday and join an exclusive club of successful IPL title defenders, a feat previously achieved by Chennai Super Kings (2010 and 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019 and 2020).

For Gujarat Titans, the IPL 2026 final is a test to establish themselves as one of the league’s heavyweight sides. GT had a debut season to remember in 2022, with then-captain Hardik Pandya leading them to the title.

The next match will be GT’s third IPL final appearance in five years – a brilliant record. If they prevail on Sunday, the Titans will become only the fourth team to win multiple IPL titles. Shubman Gill’s side will have home comfort behind them, but RCB’s supporters will likely turn the stadium red in Ahmedabad.

It will be a repeat of Qualifier 1, where RCB ran away with a massive 92-run victory. Still, GT persevered, and a seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals has given them another chance of overcoming the defending champions.

The Narendra Modi Stadium has been a high-scoring venue, so fans can expect another batting masterclass on Sunday. This will be good news for Gill and Sai Sudharsan, with both GT openers lying in second and third places, respectively, in the Orange Cap standings.

Up against GT’s youngsters will be RCB’s veteran guard, namely Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The 37-year-old batter and the 36-year-old pacer are having a stellar IPL season and will join forces to take RCB over the line once again.

There are some personal milestones to be made as well. Krunal Pandya needs just 19 runs to reach 2000 IPL runs. If he gets there, he will become the 51st player to achieve this feat. Meanwhile, GT pacer Kagiso Rabada can match Harbhajan Singh’s record of 150 IPL wickets if he can take three wickets.

Weather Trouble For GT

An ominous start for GT as the team’s return to their home city was reportedly delayed due to adverse weather conditions. The team had a chartered flight from Chandigarh on Saturday afternoon, but torrential rain and storms delayed it, resulting in them only reaching on Saturday night.

Photo of the Day

While GT have been stuck in Chandigarh, RCB had a full day of training on Saturday ahead of the IPL final. The players in red hit the nets to prepare for the showdown in Ahmedabad, and the photograph of Rajat Patidar staring into the distance shows the fire in the RCB players’ eyes as they seek to repeat last year’s glory.

Quote of the Day

Patidar can indeed enter the history books as only the fourth captain to lead their team to multiple IPL titles, but the RCB skipper stressed that he is not bothered too much about personal achievements.

“Every captain wants to win trophies. But I never change myself because it’s important to be yourself. That’s what I’ve focused on. Even if I’m a captain, it doesn’t mean I have to do anything different,” he said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

“I’ve never thought about what a captain has done before and whether I want to compete with someone or not. As an individual, my journey has been a rollercoaster ride. Wherever I live, I focus on what I can do best.

“I’ve never thought about moving forward or going back. If I’m here, I’m just focusing on what I can do before the final, and tomorrow is the final, so we’ll try to give our best.”

IPL Screening Ban In Bengaluru

Following last year’s tragic stampede at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium following RCB’s title win that took the lives of 11 people, Bengaluru police have taken proactive steps to prevent anything similar this year.

The city police have banned public screening of the IPL final on LED screens and prohibited public celebrations following the match. The ban on screening was extended to all public places, including malls and pubs.

Elsewhere…

In women’s international cricket, India suffered a 26-run loss to England in the second game of their three-match T20I series in Bristol. England’s victory tied the series 1-1, with the decider scheduled for June 2.

Arafat Minhas became the first Pakistani bowler to take a fifer on his ODI debut, finishing with figures of 5/31 during the first ODI against Australia in Rawalpindi on Saturday. Minhas’ performance, and a half-century by Babar Azam, led Pakistan to a five-wicket victory.

Meanwhile, Jacques Kallis – a bona fide legend of the game – was voted the greatest cricketer of the 21st century by a jury of present and former cricketers, conducted by ESPNcricinfo. Sachin Tendulkar was named the best batter, while Muttiah Muralidaran was chosen as the best bowler.