Who won the toss in RCB vs GT, IPL 2026 final?

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. RCB have made no changes, while GT have brought in Arshad Khan for Sai Kishore.

RCB vs GT final: Playing XIs & Impact Subs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood

• Impact Subs: Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan

Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

• Impact Subs: Rahul Tewatia, Sai Kishore, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips

Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report

First of all, the IPL 2026 final will be played on pitch number 6, mixed soil. It’s the same surface used for the league-stage match between GT and RCB. That game saw Bengaluru getting bundled out for 155. However, it’s also the pitch where India posted 255 against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final. It’s expected that batters will be at an advantage.

Although GT has played a few sub-200 games at home this season, the average first innings total at the Narendra Modi Stadium since IPL 2025 is 203, and 11 of the 16 matches have been won by sides batting first.

IPL record at Narendra Modi Stadium after winning the toss

Winning or losing the toss in Gujarat has a negligible impact on the outcome of the match. Similarly, batting first or chasing bodes equally well.

RCB vs GT final: Who has the advantage?

Bengaluru has a better batting unit. Despite having just one batter in the top 10 highest scorers, Virat Kohli, RCB have chased down 200+ targets twice in IPL 2026. At different stages, Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya and Tim David have won matches for them. One can’t say that for GT, who rely heavily on their top three of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler.

In contrast, GT’s bowling is much stronger. Despite underutilising their bowling, they manage to outbowl the opposition. Although the pitch won’t be tailor-made for them, it’s still their home. If they get RCB to bat first and roll them out under or around par, GT have a great chance of victory.

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