Gill’s RCB hurdle looms as GT prepare for IPL 2026 final
Shubman Gill enters the championship match with 722 runs this season, but his record against RCB remains a point of scrutiny ahead of the 31 May showdown in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill leads his side into the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 31 May 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Gill secured his team’s place in the championship with a record-breaking 104 off 53 balls in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals, a performance that stands as the fastest century in IPL playoff history.
Gill enters the final with 722 runs in 15 innings during the IPL 2026 season, placing him second in the Orange Cap standings. He trails teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who leads the race with 776 runs. The margin between the two batters is 54 runs, highlighting the competitive nature of the batting charts as the tournament reaches its conclusion.
Despite his dominance this season, Gill faces a specific historical challenge against RCB. Across 17 previous innings against the team, including his tenure with Kolkata Knight Riders from 2018 to 2021, he has scored only one fifty-plus score. His aggregate against RCB stands at 395 runs at an average of 28.21 and a strike rate of 140.56.
The single fifty-plus innings against RCB occurred in 2023, when Gill scored a century that eliminated Bengaluru from playoff contention. This season, Gill has faced RCB three times with mixed results, adding to the narrative that this fixture presents a unique hurdle for the Gujarat Titans skipper.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar has dismissed speculation regarding his potential selection for the Indian T20I squad and national captaincy. Speaking at a press conference in Ahmedabad, Patidar stated that his focus remains solely on the final, rejecting external narratives about his international prospects.
Under IPL 2026 playing conditions, the final is scheduled for Sunday with a reserve day on Monday, 1 June. If the match is washed out on both days, the title will be awarded to the team that finished higher in the league-stage standings. Royal Challengers Bengaluru hold the positional advantage in the event of a weather-related cancellation.
In related developments, Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has endorsed Sooryavanshi for an immediate senior Indian national team call-up. Sangakkara described the 15-year-old as “more than ready” for international cricket, predicting a senior selection would come very soon following his exceptional performance in the league stage.
