New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru may have dominated Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier, but former RCB star AB de Villiers believes the defending champions still have a lot to worry about heading into Sunday’s IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad.RCB and Gujarat Titans will battle it out for the title at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, as both teams bid for their second Indian Premier League title. While RCB aims to become only the third franchise to successfully defend the cup, GT are looking to add another title to the title they won in 2022.
Despite RCB’s 92-run win over Gujarat in the first qualifier, de Villiers admitted he was nervous about the challenge posed by Shubman Gill’s side, especially the bowling attack.So I’m nervous,” said AB de Villiers.“The GTs have a lot of confidence about playing in Ahmedabad. The way they bowled to get the win that night, even though there was the Suryavanshi factor, they still came out on top and it shows you once again that good bowling attacks tend to come to the fore at the end of the day. So I’m worried about that bowling attack in the final, but I think it’s going to be an edge of the seat and a great final and I hope it’s close.”
And let all the fans around the world enjoy it,” De Villiers said during the ESPNcricinfo Awards.RCB’s path to the final was impressive. Under Rajat Patidar, the defending champions finished top of the points table with nine wins from 14 league matches. Their campaign was marked by notable victories over Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, while they secured direct qualification to the final with a thumping victory over GT in Qualifier 1.
Once again, the batting unit is led by Virat Kohli, who has amassed 600 runs in 15 matches. Captain Patidar also played a crucial role, scoring 486 runs and leading from the front throughout the season.With the ball, veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the charge with 26 wickets, while youngster Raseekh Salam emerged as one of the finds of the tournament with 16 wickets from 11 matches.However, Gujarat Titans reached the final with a momentum of their own.
After finishing in the top two during the league stage, they bounced back from their defeat in Qualifier 1 to defeat Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 and book their place in the title clash.While RCB carry confidence in their dominant win over GT earlier in the qualifiers, de Villiers’ worry highlights the threat posed by Gujarat’s bowling unit on their home turf. With two of the best teams of the season set to take on each other, the stage is all set for an exciting IPL 2026 final.
