As the time to the final comes closer, and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru would be looking forward to securing the win against Gujarat Titans . Former BCCI president and veteran India captain, Sorav Ganguly has arrived at Ahmedabad to witness the clash against two strongest teams of IPL 2026. Ganguly was soon mobbed by reporters as they wanted to take the expert’s opinion on the clash and to know whom he supported. Defending champions RCB are looking to secure back-to-back trophies, trying to join Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as the only franchises to ever pull off a successful title defense. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans are playing in their third final in five years, cementing their legacy as a modern T20 powerhouse.

When pressed by reporters at the arrival gate to predict a winner for the grand finale, Ganguly smiled and stated, “You can't predict who will win the final. The team that plays better on the day will win. Hopefully, we have a good game tonight.” Ganguly highlighted that a final completely resets previous tournament form. Even though RCB holds a psychological edge by blowing away GT in Qualifier 1, his comment underlines that past records mean nothing once the first ball is bowled. Ganguly shares a strong connection with this venue. Back in late 2019, during his tenure as BCCI President, he personally flew into Ahmedabad to take stock of the facilities, working alongside GCA officials to review the massive ₹700-crore reconstruction that ultimately transformed it into the world's largest cricket stadium.

Who will take IPL 2026 trophy home tonight?

Cricket experts and analysts are heavily split, making it a true toss-up, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) enters as the slight statistical favourite to take the IPL 2026 trophy home tonight. Prominent analysts, including Ravichandran Ashwin on Game Plan, have declared that "it is RCB's final to lose" due to their hyper-aggressive, fearless style of cricket and deeper squad balance. However, the Gujarat Titans (GT) hold a massive home-ground advantage at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where captain Shubman Gill is currently in the form of his life. RCB has serious psychological momentum after completely blowing GT away by 92 runs in Qualifier 1, where Rajat Patidar's side posted a playoff-record 254/5.

Historically, the winner of Qualifier 1 is considered the favourite, and experts believe if RCB maintains their explosive attacking intent, GT's middle order will struggle to keep pace. Gill has an outstanding average of 53.57 at this stadium and is coming fresh off a magnificent match-winning century against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2. Eight out of the nine historical head-to-head matches between these two franchises have been won by the team chasing. If GT wins the toss and opts to bowl first under heavy evening dew, they are tipped by regional outlets like Ranji Trophy Predictions to seal the win. The official coin toss will take place at 7:00 PM IST, with the grand final kicking off at 7:30 PM IST.