RCB win toss, elect to bowl first against GT in IPL final

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has won the toss and chose to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The final is a repeat of the first qualifier in which the defending champions thrashed GT by 92 runs to book their place in the final. Now, playing in front of their home crowd, the Shubman Gill-led Gujarat will be eager to erase the memories of that defeat and reclaim the title.

RCB has not made any changes to the squad that faced Gujarat in the first qualifier. Gujarat has made one change in their squad with Arshad Khan replacing Sai Kishore. 

Following the toss, Gill said that he was happy to bat first and would have chosen to bat if he had won the toss. 

RCB playing XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar
Impact subs- Venkatesh Iyer, Kanishk Chouhan, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox

GT playing XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj
Impact subs- Prasidh Krishna, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Sai Kishore

High-stakes final for both sides

GT are featuring in their third IPL final in four seasons since making their debut in 2022 and are chasing a second title. They have won the title in the debut season, but have lost to CSK in 2023.

The Titans have enjoyed a strong record at the Narendra Modi Stadium this season, winning five of their seven matches, including a four-wicket victory over RCB during the league stage. After losing to RCB in the qualifier, they have defeated Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier by seven wickets to book their place in the final. 

The biggest strength for Gujarat remains the opening pair of captain Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who have been among the most prolific batters of the tournament. Gill has amassed 722 runs this season, while Sudharsan has scored 710. Former England captain Jos Buttler has also made a significant contribution with 507 runs.

However, Gujarat's middle order has struggled for consistency and could come under pressure if the top order fails to provide a strong platform.

Their bowling attack, led by Purple Cap holder Kagiso Rabada with 28 wickets, will be crucial. With the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder and Prasidh Krishna in their ranks, GT possess the firepower to challenge RCB's formidable batting lineup.

RCB, meanwhile, have looked every bit the defending champions with both their batting and bowling units firing in tandem. Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar have been in excellent form, while Bengaluru have emerged as one of the most explosive batting sides of the season, regularly breaching the 200-run mark.

Their bowling attack, spearheaded by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has also been effective, particularly in the powerplay, where they have consistently put opposition batters under pressure.