IPL finale looms: GT’s resurgence vs RCB’s muscle

Gujarat Titans have found a second wind after a mediocre first half of the Indian Premier League 2026. GT, who were fighting in the middle of the points table and outside the top four, booked their spot in the top two to set up a mouth-watering Qualifier 1 against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

GT were a step behind in modern-day T20 batting when they met RCB in their seventh match of the season, having lost four of their first seven matches. Since then they have done a sensational turn around and how.

The Titans have won six of their last seven and have put on much better batting displays. has found his form, and their opening pair of and Sai Sudharsan has been going ever so strong, having equalled the record for most century partnerships in the history of the tournament.

GT would be happy to see their top three firing again but would be pleased that their middle order has done enough to help them close out a few games and put up strong totals. Sudharsan is the current holder of the orange cap with 638 runs in 14 innings, while captain Gill is close behind with 616 runs in 13 outings.

and Mohammed Siraj have troubled the oppositions with their Test match bowling line-ups, while Rashid Khan has been highly prolific as well. Rabada is the joint-highest wicket-taker of the season with 24 wickets, while Rashid and Siraj have taken 19 and 17 wickets respectively.

While GT have been doing the things well, they are up against a mighty RCB side, which has covered most of the bases as per the conditions to win games and maybe the tournament as well. Their scoring rate has not taken too much of a hit even without Phil Salt in the latter half of the tournament, with Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal tearing through bowling attacks.

Venkatesh Iyer's return and a clutch innings from will give RCB the extra edge that GT seem to be missing. Venkatesh has played two very impactful innings at different positions and that has led to captain Patidar praising him profusely. Even if Salt comes back, RCB would have some selection headache and they might not drop Venkatesh but Jitesh Sharma, who seems to be out of sorts this season.

The bowling attack has given the renewed air of freshness that RCB missed out on over the last few years, except in 2025. is the current purple cap holder while Josh Hazlewood has been lethal after joining the squad late due to managing his Achilles injury and a hamstring issue.

GT’s rejuvenated scoring rate keeps them in good shape against the RCB, but the defending champions still hold an edge over the 2022 champions to make a direct entry in the final, which beckons these two sides.