RCB Choose to Bowl in IPL 2026 Final as Batting First Leads 10-8 in Past Deciders
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 31
RCB Choose to Bowl in IPL 2026 Final as Batting First Leads 10-8 in Past Deciders
15 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 31
Rajat Patidar won the toss and sent Gujarat Titans in to bat in Sunday’s IPL 2026 final, saying Royal Challengers Bengaluru could exploit the early overs despite a good batting surface.
IPL history offers only a slim guide: teams batting first have won 10 of the previous 18 finals, while chasing sides have taken eight titles.
The toss trend is even less decisive—captains chose to field first in eight earlier finals, and only four of those teams went on to lift the trophy.
Patidar said the pitch should stay similar across 40 overs, while Gujarat captain Shubman Gill said his side had wanted to bat first anyway because pacers could get some early help.
That leaves execution under pressure, rather than toss statistics alone, as the likelier factor in deciding who wins the 2026 title.
Was the IPL final won by a brilliant chase or lost by a catastrophic top-order collapse?
Did a new chemical spray, not player skill, truly decide the winner of the IPL final?
With back-to-back titles, has Rajat Patidar finally forged a dynasty for Royal Challengers Bengaluru?