IPL 2026 Final: Shubman Gill Eyes His First Captaincy Crown, Rajat Patidar Chases History

Ahemdabad: Shubman Gill is waiting for that one moment that will make him famous as a captain. The journey of India's ODI and Test captain Gill has been full of ups and downs so far. After taking over the command from Rohit Sharma, he drew the Test series 2-2 in England but lost the Test 0-2 to South Africa at home. He was removed from the T20I vice-captaincy and also lost his place in the team just ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.

Now the final of IPL 2026 is like 'do or die' for Gill. His Gujarat Titans will face Rajat Patidar's Royal Challengers Bangalore in Ahmedabad on Sunday. This could be the moment that Gill, who is fondly called 'Prince', is eagerly waiting for. This victory will increase the stature of Gill for Team India which is going through the transition phase. There is the ODI World Cup after one and a half years and also the Border-Gavaskar series at home early next year. Gill is the captain in both formats.

Will Gill get the command of T20 again?

Even though Suryakumar Yadav is the captain in T20, the confidence of the think tank has wavered. Gill was made SKY's deputy before the Asia Cup last year. This was an indication that India wanted a captain in all three formats. If Gill lifts the IPL trophy then the T20 command can also return to him. At present, Gill does not have any major trophy in his name as captain.

Gill has taken Gujarat to its third final. This is his first final as captain. Hardik Pandya has won the title in 2022 and was runner-up in 2023. Gill is one of the most consistent batsmen of IPL. He has scored 1798 runs since IPL 2024. In this list, only Virat Kohli with 1998 runs and Sai Sudarshan with 1996 runs are ahead of him.

Why can Rajat Patidar become the new 'King' of RCB?

On the other hand, Rajat Patidar is ready to write his own legacy. His innings of 93 runs in 33 balls against GT in Qualifier-1 showed that he deserves a place in the T20I team. Patidar is not a poster boy. Neither fan following like Virat nor tag of 'Prince' like Gill. But the Patidar who works quietly has a chance to create history.

Will Patidar be included in Dhoni-Rohit's list? 

If RCB wins on Sunday, Patidar will become the third captain to win a second consecutive IPL title. Till now only MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have done this. CSK defended the title in 2010-11 and MI in 2019-20. RCB can also repeat the same feat.

Who has the home ground advantage, GT or RCB? 

On paper, GT looks to have the upper hand as the final is in Ahmedabad. But the situation is complicated. RCB is in full swing. Topped the league stage and swept GT in Qualifier 1. Whereas GT's schedule was tiring. Went to Dharamshala after the last league match against Chennai, lost to RCB there. Then reached Mullanpur and defeated RR by 7 wickets in Qualifier 2. Now returned to Ahmedabad again after a gap of one day. The flight was also delayed due to weather. RCB had reached Ahmedabad on Wednesday itself. The team conducted two full training sessions. Patidar also admitted, "We got rest after Qualifier 1. GT is coming straight after playing Qualifier 2. There is some advantage." But understanding home conditions also matters in the final.

What will Ahmedabad say: ‘Aava de’ or ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde’? 

On one hand, Gill is waiting for his first big trophy, on the other hand, Patidar has to create a legacy. This trophy has a different meaning for both the captains. In a few hours it will be known who will be celebrating at Narendra Modi Stadium.