RCB and GT will clash in the IPL 2026 final on May 31 in Ahmedabad.
According to former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the reigning champions, are highly likely to win the IPL 2026 final and can only lose due to their own errors.
However, he added that the Gujarat Titans will play hard against RCB and benefit from playing at home, where they have dominated games and successfully protected their stronghold.
RCB had defeated GT in Qualifier 1 by 92 runs to directly qualify for the finals. On the other hand, GT defeated RR in Qualifier 2 to take the longer route to the finals.
Ashwin believes that RCB is the team to beat because of their performances throughout the competition, even if he acknowledges Gujarat's advantage of playing at home.
“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. For RCB, it doesn't matter whether they bat or bowl first; it is their final to lose. They are going in as the favorites. Whatever they do, they must not regress or play any less attacking cricket than they have throughout the season,” Ashwin told Jio Hotstar.
GT, led by Shubman Gill, has been one of the season's most reliable teams and will have a lot of support from the Ahmedabad fans. Ashwin, however, supported RCB's aggressive strategy and highlighted the two finalists' distinct personalities.
“The two teams have very contrasting approaches. RCB has 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,” he said.
RCB are aiming to become only the third franchise in IPL history to successfully defend the title, while the Gujarat Titans are chasing their second championship.
(IANS inputs)