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Former IPL stars Aaron Finch and Ambati Rayudu, alongside Lucknow Super Giants Director of Cricket Tom Moody, made their predictions for the IPL 2026 final between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans on Sunday, May 31.
The final will be played at the Titans' home ground at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. RCB entered the final with a 92-run routing of the Titans in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, while GT made full use of their second chance by beating the Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets in Qualifier 2 on Friday.
Shubman Gill's century propels GT to IPL 2026 final
At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, GT got the better of the Rajasthan Royals to qualify for their third IPL final in just five years of existence as a franchise.
RR's top order had a brutal collapse, but "Boss Baby" Vaibhav Sooryavanshi kept up the tempo with his third score in the 90s this season. His 96 from just 47 balls was the biggest catalyst in the RR innings.
Ravindra Jadeja and Sooryavanshi staved off the early collapse, but Jadeja had to retire hurt with an elbow injury. He returned to bat later, but the injury made him almost ineffective. Jadeja made 12 runs in 19 balls after returning from the injury as opposed to 33 runs in just 16 balls before.
Donovan Ferriera launched an epic finish, including 26 runs against Rashid Khan in the last over of the innings, to take the team past 200.
GT completed the chase as if it were no challenge at all. Sai Sudharsan made 58 and put up 167 with Gill before being dismissed hit wicket twice in two matches.
Gill went on to complete his second century in the IPL playoffs to give GT an easy win and set up their date with RCB in the IPL 2026 final.
Also Read: "Happy to get the win": Shubman Gill delighted after winning POTM and storming into IPL 2026 final
Rayudu, Finch, and Moody make their predictions
Ambati Rayudu, Aaron Finch, and Tom Moody were speaking to ESPNCricinfo when they were asked to make their predictions for the IPL 2026 final.
Aaron Finch said that both teams had an equal chance of winning the IPL title, and that RCB's all-roundedness would be mitigated by the fact that GT were playing at home.
"50-50 for me. The top order [GT's] is wonderful. They play great cricket at home. The fact that it's a home final [for GT], I think they've got an advantage. But on paper, RCB are probably a more rounded side. Think of the Impact that [Rajat] Patidar has had through the middle with the bat. Tim David's had some key performances. Home conditions [for GT] make it back to 50-50," Finch said.
Ambati Rayudu was more blunt in his assessment, dropping a one-liner verdict. "I think red soil [pitch] RCB [win], black soil [pitch], GT [win]," he said.
Tom Moody said that RCB had a slight advantage due to not just being a well-rounded side, but also because GT would be fatigued by the travel.
"RCB are the better-balanced side, I agree with Finchy. The challenge GT have is that they've played and travelled constantly, and that will add up at some point. That pressure will play a role both physically and mentally," he said.
GT played the first Qualifier in Dharamsala on Tuesday and the second in Mullanpur on Friday. Now, they will play the final on Sunday in Ahmedabad.
____ will win the IPL 2026 final 👀 pic.twitter.com/620DU2wsTE
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
RCB vs GT in IPL 2026
In the league stage of the tournament, both teams shared honours. In Bengaluru, Virat Kohli's 81 overshadowed Sai Sudharsan's century as RCB won.
In Ahmedabad, Jason Holder and Kagiso Rabada's pace ensured an RCB collapse, and GT took their own time working through the chase.
In Qualifier 1, Rajat Patidar breathed new life into an innings going steadily enough to push RCB past 250. After GT lost five in the powerplay, it was a fairly useless exercise.
