RCB benefited, Gujarat suffered? Gavaskar's explosive IPL final remark triggers debate

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has raised concerns over the scheduling of the IPL 2026 final, arguing that the match should have been postponed by a day to ensure fairness for the Gujarat Titans.

Gavaskar pointed out that Gujarat were forced to travel across three different venues during the playoffs, leaving the team with limited recovery time before the title clash. Unlike previous seasons, where the playoffs were typically split between two venues, this year's schedule saw the first Qualifier played in Dharamsala, the second Qualifier in New Chandigarh, and the final in Ahmedabad.

After losing the first Qualifier to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the Gujarat Titans had to travel to New Chandigarh for the second Qualifier. Their victory there meant another journey to Ahmedabad for the final, with less than 48 hours between the two knockout matches.

Gavaskar calls for use of reserve day

Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar said the circumstances warranted a one-day postponement of the final.

“Yes, definitely. Make no mistake, players require rest. You didn’t know when your flight was taking off, so there was anxiety. Which means you are mentally also off, apart from the physical toll. So, I thought with a reserve day in place, considering what happened was completely unexpected, I thought they could have pushed the final to tomorrow, just to be a little fair to the Gujarat Titans team," he said.

Gavaskar stressed that the physical and mental strain of constant travel could have affected the Titans, who had no control over the scheduling arrangement.

RCB opt to bowl first in Ahmedabad finale

Meanwhile, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and elected to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

Both sides entered the contest chasing their second IPL title.

RCB captain Rajat Patidar expressed confidence in his team's preparations.

"We'll bowl first. It's a pretty good wicket. Don't think it'll change much. A lot of memories, last year. We have to do our best to win this match. It's important to be in the present. Let's control the controllables. Always love to play at this stadium. Same team."

Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill said his side would have preferred batting first and revealed a change to the playing XI.

"We would have batted first. Typical wicket, third match we are playing here. There could be some movement for the fast bowlers in the first three overs. One of the biggest stadiums in the world. We've got one chance. Arshad (Khan) comes in for Sai (Kishore)," Gill said.

Gujarat Titans fielded Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan and Mohammed Siraj, while RCB lined up with Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam Dar.