GT vs RCB IPL 2026: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Gujarat Titans in the TATA IPL 2026 Final, with both sides chasing their second title in Ahmedabad. Speaking on JioHotstar’s Game Plan, JioStar experts Ravichandran Ashwin and Sanjay Bangar shared their thoughts on the favourites to lift the trophy, Virat Kohli’s plans to counter Kagiso Rabada, and the battle between Shubman Gill and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
GT vs RCB IPL 2026
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Game Plan’, JioStar expert Ravichandran Ashwin reckoned that RCB are the favourites heading into today’s TATA IPL 2026 Final:
“The fact that GT are playing at their home ground, and that they’ve dominated there and made it a fortress, is something that’s really going to give them that extra fillip going into the final. The two teams have very contrasting approaches. RCB have been willing to take that extra risk. They have a team with a few fighters in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya, who have turned up the heat this season.”
“GT’s home ground and their familiarity with those conditions is the only last piece of the puzzle standing between RCB and a second title. For RCB, it doesn’t matter whether they bat or bowl first, it is their final to lose. They are going in as the favourites. Whatever they do, they must not regress or play any less attacking cricket than they have throughout the season.”
On Virat Kohli countering Kagiso Rabada. He said,
“Virat is very smart, actually, in terms of understanding what’s coming his way. In the last game in Dharamshala, he pulled one off Kagiso Rabada, and it’s almost like he’s telling himself, the world, and Rabada, ‘You know what, I can pull that. You got me out in Ahmedabad, but I’m showing you that I’ve got that in my closet.’ What GT have done to Virat is bowl really wide. They’re asking his closed bottom hand to open up and go square of the pitch.”
“He’s gotten out nicking those balls over the last two years. Virat countered that well in Ahmedabad. They went back to that plan in Dharamshala, and he still handled it well. Everybody in the RCB team would want Virat anchored in there for as long as he can, because that enables them to take the high-risk options they have played all through the season.”
On RCB Captain Rajat Patidar’s fearless hitting against spin.
“He’s a demonic spin-hitter. He’s one of those very rare breeds of batters who climbs into deliveries using his feet, whether it’s towards the stumps, outside leg stump, or through the covers, he steps into it. That’s a very rare phenomenon. The reason he’s able to do it is that he’s diminutive in stature, but he’s got a great bat swing, which just dips and goes to the highest point where he can really start using those levers, very much like Vaibhav Suryavanshi. It makes Shubman Gill’s work a bit harder.”
“Rashid Khan got hit in the previous game, and that’s going to be playing on his mind. They cannot have spin bowlers bowling to Rajat Patidar at that venue. He’s going to take them to the cleaners. They need to get the fast bowlers attacking him, bowling back-of-a-length, good Test-match lengths, with fielders square on the off-side and asking him to go square.”
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Game Plan’, JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar suggested a change in playing XI for GT to counter RCB’s big-hitting prowess:
“It’s slightly out-of-the-box thinking, but can GT play with only three overseas players in their starting lineup when they’re bowling first? If Rashid’s overs are not required, they leave themselves the option of bringing in somebody like Glenn Phillips, which actually gives them a lot of batting strength, something you need when you’re probably looking to chase down a score in excess of 210-220.”
“I don’t think GT will go in that direction, but they should at least consider it. And if there is one spinner who has had a little bit of success against Rajat Patidar, it is Sai Kishore. He bowls those slower deliveries outside Patidar’s hitting arc, and he also bowls with a lot of control against the left-handers.”
On the Shubman Gill vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar battle.
“Against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, I would not suggest batters to stand outside the crease or walk towards him because he’s quite sharp. If he sees you dancing down the track, he can slip in that straightish short ball quite nicely. He also has the knack of pulling his length back, and instead of swing, he can get the ball to seam around.”
“So, I would say play from the crease, let the ball come to you, and play as late as possible. The kind of innings that Shubman played in Chandigarh was, for me, probably the purest innings I’ve seen in a couple of years. He played those overs from Jofra Archer brilliantly, attacking and defending equally well, and he can do a similar thing against Bhuvneshwar Kumar too.”
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