The IPL 2026 Final is shaping up to be a cricket fan’s dream. It will carry a fitting sense of poetry, as the IPL playoffs will end the same way they started, with an RCB vs GT Final. It also involves questions around Phil Salt and the Ahmedabad weather.
As fans of other sports can attest to (NHL, NBA, NFL, & MLB), when it comes to championship games and matches, teams tend to keep injury information close to the vest.
Here is the predicted playing XI, the latest Phil Salt update, and an Ahmedabad weather forecast.
Ahmedabad Weather Report: Will RCB vs GT Final Get Rained Out?
So far, the Ahmedabad weather report is favorable for tonight’s RCB vs GT IPL clash. The most worrying concern for fans would be rain and thunderstorms. At the time of this writing, there is no such alert out.
However, the heat could become a major issue at the beginning of the match. According to AccuWeather, the forecasted high will be 41 degrees Celcius. However, the players will get some relief, as temperatures will cool by a couple of degrees to 39 degrees Celsius by the time the first ball is thrown.
This is still incredibly hot. Because of the heat, the team that wins the coin toss may opt to field second to conserve energy and avoid heatstroke & heat exhaustion.
IPL 2026 Final: Predicted Playing XI’s & Phil Salt
While the Ahmedabad weather will play its part in today’s match, the playing XI will also carry tremendous weight. There is a report suggesting Phil Salt may be available to play, but is unlikely to join RCB’s XI.
“Phil Salt is unlikely to play in the final vs GT as he was not spotted doing any kind of practice during RCB’s practice session today as well as yesterday,” wrote Cricket Central on social media. “He was present during the practice with no bandages on his fingers. But, he didn’t practice much.”
Here is the predicted playing XI for today’s match.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI
- Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, & Romario Shepherd (Impact Player)
Gujarat Titans XI
- Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, & Rahul Tewatia (Impact player).
RCB vs GT Final: Will Gujarat Titans Get Revenge?
RCB dominated GT in the Qualifier 1 match by 92 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy combined for five wickets in eight overs. The duo only surrendered 67 runs. However, each of them collected a wicket each against GT’s opening partnership of Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill.
That will be the key to RCB’s success: if they can dismiss Sudharsan and Gill as quickly as possible, they can dramatically limit GT’s run total.
On the other end of the ball, RCB has the offensive depth to win the match, even if Virat Kohli or Rajat Patidar have poor form and are dismissed early.
Which team will add a second IPL Trophy to their legacy? We wait and see.
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