Gujarat Titans' Shubman Gill has struggled against RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, averaging just 13.33 and striking at 101.26 in their meetings. | Photo Credit: PTI

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 Final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 31.

RCB, the defending champion, will be looking to win its second straight final while Gujarat Titans will also be looking to win its second title, after its triumph in the 2022 season.

Cricket is a team sport but individual battles between key players often decide the outcome of a contest., and the same could be the story come the final on Sunday.

Here are three key player battles that could define the RCB vs GT Qualifier 1:

Virat Kohli vs. Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder

Unsurprisingly, Virat Kohli has been RCB’s leading run-scorer this season, amassing 600 runs from 15 innings.

Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada has carried much of the bowling burden for GT, taking 28 wickets from 16 innings, and currently is the Purple Cap Holder with one match to go.

Kohli and Rabada have shared a storied rivalry across formats over the last decade. In T20 cricket, however, the South African quick has largely had the upper hand, dismissing the Indian batting stalwart six times in 19 innings. In the IPL, the South African’s record is even better- In 10 innings, Rabada as dismissed Kohli four times.

Jason Holder, Rabada’s partner in the bowling unit who has been impactful in the middle overs, has Kohli’s number as well. The West Indian has dismissed the RCB openerin two out of the three times they faced off against each other and in six games overall, Holder has dismissed Kohli four times in the IPL.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs. GT openers

It is well established that the Titans are heavily reliant on their top order. The opening pair of B Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill have both crossed 700 runs this season, enjoying another highly productive season.

In Bhuvneshwar Kumar, RCB has the ideal in-form weapon to counter GT’s biggest strength.

Both Sai Sudharsan and Gill have modest records against the RCB pacer. Gill, in particular, has struggled against Bhuvneshwar, averaging just 13.33 and striking at 101.26 in their meetings. Even in the Qualifier 1 game, it was Bhuvneshwar who dismissed Gill to help RCB win by a massive 92 runs and progress to the final.

Rashid Khan vs. Tim David

Rashid Khan’s return to form has been central to GT’s dominant run in IPL 2026. The leg-spinner has already claimed 19 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 8.71.

On Sunday, Rashid is likely to come up against RCB’s middle-order enforcer Tim David, who has hammered 277 runs at a strike rate of 197.85 this season.

Rashid has largely had the upper hand in their battles so far, having dismissed the Australian three times in six innings in the IPL. Moreover, David’s strike rate against Rashid is a paltry 100, and averages just six. That could encourage GT to hold back an over or two from Rashid at the death in an attempt to neutralise David’s finishing threat.

Published on May 31, 2026