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Former India captain Virender Sehwag on Sunday dismissed all claims of Gujarat Titans (GT) getting unfair home advantage during the IPL final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore. The final of IPL 2026 will be played at GT’s home ground, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Since their inception as a franchise, Gujarat Titans have been a very consistent team, and their dominance at home has contributed to their success. Titans have won 18 out of 30 matches played in Motera, including 5 out of 7 this year.
GT will not get the pitch he wants – Virender Sehwag
Generally, home teams have to decide what type of pitch they want at their home stadium. However, Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani created a bit of drama by saying that his team is not allowed to take control of the pitches.
But Virender Sehwag has now confirmed that this will not happen in the final. Sehwag said that for the big day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will take care of the pitch preparation and not succumb to the whims and fancies of the home team led by curator Shubman Gill.
“It’s GT’s home ground, but because it’s the final, they can’t make any pitch they want, so they won’t get that advantage. Since it’s the final, it will be the BCCI who will prepare the wickets, so it’s a level playing field,” he told Cricbuzz.
Also Read: RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final Pitch Report: Gujarat official reveals what to expect in Ahmedabad
“It’s straight 50-50” – Sehwag
In the show, Sehwag said that RCB being in good form is a good sign for the defending champions. He said that RCB’s form makes it a 50-50 match, but also said that Gujarat Titans will have to play to their strengths to win the game.
“The kind of cricket that RCB is playing and is playing is quite extraordinary. According to me, it is straight 50-50,” Sehwag said. “To get the better of RCB in the final, GT will have to play the same kind of cricket they played in Qualifier 2,” he said.
rcb vs gt in ipl 2026
Both the teams have enjoyed success in IPL 2026 and finished first and second respectively in the points table. This year both the teams won 9 out of their 14 matches, but RCB remained at the first position due to better net run rate. Then, in Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala, RCB defeated Titans by 92 runs.
After Venkatesh Iyer’s early cameo, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal scored 72 runs in 6 overs. RCB captain Rajat Patidar made best use of the opportunities he got and scored unbeaten 93 runs in just 33 balls. RCB scored 254 runs. Patidar made a 95-run partnership with Krunal Pandya and RCB added 114 runs in the last 6 overs.
With the powerplay all hopes of chasing the target were gone. Rasikh Salam bowled a double wicket maiden in the 6th over which more or less ensured the victory. Rahul Tewatia scored a half-century, but that was a formality. In the league stage, the teams shared the honours. In Bengaluru, Virat Kohli’s 81 and Pandya’s quickfire innings overshadowed Sai Sudarshan’s century as RCB chased 205.
In Ahmedabad, GT equalized with a spirited bowling performance. Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan and Jason Williamson demolished RCB, leaving the Titans to chase just 155 runs. However, they lost 6 wickets by the time they reached there.
Both RCB and GT surely have fond memories of Ahmedabad. In 2022, the Titans won the IPL final here in their very first year as an IPL franchise. In 2025, RCB won their first IPL title at the same stadium after a wait of 18 years. So far, RCB has won 4 and lost 4 of its 8 matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
