RCB 201/5 vs GT 199/3 | IPL 2026 Scorecard
IPL 2026 Final — RCB vs GT, May 31, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Virat Kohli seeks a SECOND title at the ground where he finally won his first. Kagiso Rabada (28 wickets, IPL powerplay record) vs RCB's most explosive batting lineup in franchise history. Dream11 captain & VC picks, pitch report, head-to-head, and our match verdict inside.
- 📅 24 April 2026 · 7:30 PM IST
- 📍 M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Bengaluru
- 🏆 IPL 2026
- ✅ Playing XI confirmed (22 players)
THE FINAL STAGE. Narendra Modi Stadium — the world's largest cricket ground — is the venue where the IPL 2026 title will be decided on May 31. This is not just any pitch report: this ground is where RCB clinched their maiden IPL title in 2025, and now they return to defend it. For GT, it is their home fortress — they won 5 of 7 home matches here this season and won the 2022 IPL title at this same ground. Two champions. One venue. One title. On the surface: Ahmedabad's hard, red-clay deck is a batter's paradise. IPL 2026 first-innings average here: 193 runs at 9.17 per over. There is good carry and pace off the surface, particularly early on when the ball swings and nips. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will look to exploit that early movement in the powerplay. As the innings progresses, the surface flattens and big hitting dominates. Spinners get limited purchase — Rashid Khan is dangerous in the middle overs but will be attacked aggressively by RCB's power hitters. The dew factor under lights is enormous: temperatures drop from 38°C to 24°C overnight, settling moisture on the ball and outfield that makes spin and yorkers near-impossible to grip in the second innings. Teams batting second win 65%+ of matches here this season. Expect both captains to want to field first.
RCB are on fire. They topped the IPL 2026 league table and have been the most complete side all season. Virat Kohli leads their run charts with 600+ runs at avg 50 and SR 164, including a 9th IPL century (105* vs KKR). Rajat Patidar's 93* off 33 balls in Q1 vs GT was one of the great playoff knocks. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has 26 wickets at economy 8.00 — 12 of them inside the powerplay. Their Q1 performance — putting up the highest score ever seen in an IPL playoff — showed what this team is capable of when everything clicks.
GT suffered a 92-run humiliation in Q1 against RCB but showed remarkable character to come through Qualifier 2 and reach the Final. This is a team that knows how to win at Narendra Modi Stadium — they won 5 of 7 home matches here in IPL 2026 and claimed the 2022 IPL title at this very ground. Shubman Gill (722 runs, SR 163) and Sai Sudharsan (710 runs, SR 159) are the most productive opening pair in the tournament. And GT have the most dangerous bowler in IPL 2026: Kagiso Rabada, with 28 wickets and an IPL-record 18 powerplay scalps.
Kohli is the standout captain pick for the IPL 2026 Final. His 600+ runs at avg 50 and SR 164, combined with his exceptional record in knockout matches, make the 2× multiplier on him the highest-ceiling option available. This is the ground where he lifted his first IPL trophy last year. Kohli in a Final is in a different stratosphere mentally — he scores nearly 30% more in knockout matches than league-phase matches historically. On a surface averaging 193 first innings, the captain multiplier on a player of Kohli's calibre is the safest and highest-ceiling pick of the entire 2026 season.
Rabada as VC gives you the most devastating bowling ceiling available. His 28 wickets — including 18 in the powerplay — mean a 3-wicket haul in the Final is a realistic, likely outcome. The 2× VC multiplier on 3 wickets in a Final returns extraordinary fantasy points. If Kohli fires AND Rabada takes 3 wickets, your team likely wins the contest outright. Grand league differential VC alternative: Rajat Patidar — if he replicates his 93* off 33 balls from Q1, the 2× multiplier gives you the highest single-player return possible in a cricket fantasy match.
- Virat Kohli(RCB)
Kohli is the soul of this RCB side. His 600+ runs at avg 50 and SR 164 — including a 9th IPL century (105* off 60 balls vs KKR) — make him the most consistent batter of the entire 2026 season. He scored 81 off 44 against GT in the league phase. He has 344+ runs in the RCB–GT rivalry overall. Kohli becomes a different player in knockout matches — he focuses intensely and his strike rate spikes in Finals. At the very ground where he lifted his maiden IPL trophy in 2025, Kohli has every reason to produce a defining performance. He is also the first Indian batter to 14,000 T20 runs — the greatest T20 player in the game, at his greatest moment.
- Kagiso Rabada(GT)
Rabada is the most destructive bowler of IPL 2026. His 28 wickets lead the Purple Cap, including 18 in the powerplay — the most by any bowler in a single IPL season, breaking Mohammed Shami's 2023 record of 17. He became the first player in IPL history to claim 25+ wickets in three separate seasons. His searing pace, late swing with the new ball, and precise yorkers make him lethal in the powerplay and at the death. Against RCB's fearless top order — Kohli, Patidar, Phil Salt — Rabada is GT's single most important weapon. If he can take 2–3 wickets inside 6 overs, he reshapes the Final entirely.
- Rajat Patidar(RCB)
Patidar has led RCB with tactical brilliance and led from the front with the bat: 486 runs at the extraordinary strike rate of 196.76. His 93* off 33 balls in Q1 vs these very same Gujarat Titans was one of the great playoff knocks in IPL history — an assault so savage it destroyed GT's confidence and set up a 92-run win. The RCB Director of Cricket praised his "calm and complete" captaincy. If Patidar wins this Final, he becomes only the third captain after Dhoni and Rohit to win back-to-back IPL titles. He also scored an important 42 off 28 in Qualifier 1 opening alongside Kohli. Every big shot Patidar hits against Rabada in the powerplay could be match-defining.
- Sai Sudharsan(GT)
Sudharsan has been sensational — 710 runs in IPL 2026 at SR 159, his third consecutive season with 500+ IPL runs (equalling a record previously held by Virat Kohli). His compact technique, phenomenal placement, and ability to anchor innings while maintaining a 155+ strike rate make him the ideal T20 opener for this surface. A 61 off 44 vs SRH showed that even when the big hitters around him struggle, Sudharsan delivers. On Ahmedabad's true bounce where the ball comes nicely onto the bat, Sudharsan will look to punish anything short or full in the powerplay — and he rarely misses.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar(RCB)
Bhuvneshwar is having arguably the finest bowling season of his IPL career: 26 wickets at economy 8.00 with 12 powerplay wickets at an economy of around 7.00. He became the first Indian bowler to take 25+ wickets in an IPL season for two different franchises (previously 26 for SRH in 2017). His mastery of swing — late in-swing to right-handers, angle away from left-handers — and the slower ball at the death is exceptional. Against the GT openers Gill (right-hand) and Sudharsan (left-hand), Bhuvneshwar can create immediate problems with movement. Dismissing both inside 6 overs would all but secure the IPL title for RCB.
- Jason Holder(GT)
Holder has been IPL 2026's biggest surprise package. Since joining GT mid-season, he has taken 13 wickets in just 6 matches at an astonishing average of 10.92 and economy of 6.34 — figures that would make him the standout bowler of most IPL seasons. A four-wicket haul vs PBKS and a three-wicket haul vs RR demonstrated his ability to win matches outright. At 6'7", his natural bounce on the Ahmedabad surface is relentless. Holder bowls powerplay, middle overs, AND death — giving GT captain Gill the flexibility to use him in any phase. His batting at No. 7–8 also adds lower-order value for fantasy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won RCB vs GT?
. See the full scorecard, fantasy points and top performers on this page.
What is the pitch report for M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru?
THE FINAL STAGE. Narendra Modi Stadium — the world's largest cricket ground — is the venue where the IPL 2026 title will be decided on May 31. This is not just any pitch report: this ground is where RCB clinched their maiden IPL title in 2025, and now they return to defend it. For GT, it is their home fortress — they won 5 of 7 home matches here this season and won the 2022 IPL title at this same ground. Two champions. One venue. One title. On the surface: Ahmedabad's hard, red-clay deck is a batter's paradise. IPL 2026 first-innings average here: 193 runs at 9.17 per over. There is good carry and pace off the surface, particularly early on when the ball swings and nips. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will look to exploit that early movement in the powerplay. As the innings progresses, the surface flattens and big hitting dominates. Spinners get limited purchase — Rashid Khan is dangerous in the middle overs but will be attacked aggressively by RCB's power hitters. The dew factor under lights is enormous: temperatures drop from 38°C to 24°C overnight, settling moisture on the ball and outfield that makes spin and yorkers near-impossible to grip in the second innings. Teams batting second win 65%+ of matches here this season. Expect both captains to want to field first.
Who should be captain for RCB vs GT in fantasy cricket?
Virat Kohli is a strong captain pick, with Kagiso Rabada as vice-captain. Kohli is the standout captain pick for the IPL 2026 Final. His 600+ runs at avg 50 and SR 164, combined with his exceptional record in knockout matches, make the 2× multiplier on him the highest-ceiling option available. This is the ground where he lifted his first IPL trophy last year. Kohli in a Final is in a different stratosphere mentally — he scores nearly 30% more in knockout matches than league-phase matches historically. On a surface averaging 193 first innings, the captain multiplier on a player of Kohli's calibre is the safest and highest-ceiling pick of the entire 2026 season.
Who will win RCB vs GT?
WHY THIS MATCH MATTERS This is not just another IPL game. This is the biggest game of the 2026 season — the title decider. Every match played since March 28 has led to this one night in Ahmedabad. Here is why it matters so deeply: For RCB: Virat Kohli waited 17 seasons to win his first IPL title. He won it here, at Narendra Modi Stadium, in 2025 — a night that reduced him to tears and millions of fans to celebrations. Now he is back at the same venue, with the same team, to do it again. If RCB win, Kohli and captain Rajat Patidar join MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as the only captains to win back-to-back IPL titles. This is legacy territory. For GT: They were demolished by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 — the biggest defeat in this rivalry. A team with 722-run Shubman Gill, Purple Cap holder Rabada (28 wickets), and Jason Holder (13 wickets in 6 matches at avg 10.92) does not lose like that without something to prove. They play this Final at their home ground, where they won the IPL title in 2022 and where they are 5–2 this season. Redemption or repeat humiliation — that is GT's storyline. THE KEY BATTLE: Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Gill and Sudharsan in the powerplay. If Bhuvi swings it early and takes 2 wickets inside 6 overs, GT's chase platform collapses. If Gill and Sudharsan survive and post 60+ in the powerplay, GT win. Everything else is secondary. THE DEW FACTOR: This Final will be decided by the toss. Both teams will field first after winning — the dew advantage in the second innings at Ahmedabad is too decisive to give up. Whoever bats second will have the better of conditions in the final 8 overs. VERDICT: RCB win the IPL 2026 Final by 6 wickets. Batting second in a dew-affected second innings, Kohli (70+) and Patidar (45+) chase down GT's 180-190 with 2 overs to spare. Bhuvneshwar takes 3 powerplay wickets to restrict GT to a chaseable total. RCB become the first team since Mumbai Indians (2019–20) to win back-to-back IPL titles. Screenshot this.
How do I play fantasy cricket for RCB vs GT on CricketDream?
Build a free Fantasy XI for Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans, join a snake Draft with friends, or play the Predictor — all on CricketDream. Pick your 11 players before the toss and compete on the live leaderboard.