SUNDAY IPL – THE FINAL: The Edge previews Final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
🏆 Final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans
MATCH OVERVIEW:
It’s IPL Final time on Betdaq Betting Exchange as Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Gujarat Titans at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday! It’s a fitting Final too, because these were the top two sides in the table – both finished on 18 points with nine wins from fourteen games, and it took net run rate to separate them at the top. After six weeks of cricket, the two best teams of the group stage are the two left standing, and that is exactly how you want a Final to look. RCB earned the direct route here, and they did it in style. They dismantled Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala – posting 255/5, the highest total in IPL playoff history, before Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy tore through the Gujarat reply. It was a statement performance from the defending champions, and now Gujarat need to find a way to stop their batting line-up!
They picked themselves up to beat Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 and book their place here. They chased down 214/6 exceptionally easily, but the main worries with their bowling remain. Virat Kohli has been in sensational form all season, and RCB look every inch a side that knows how to win the big moments now. Gujarat will know what didn’t work earlier in the week, but it’s hard to see how they handle the RCB batting. It’s a little ironic too that RCB waited eighteen long seasons for a maiden title – they finally got over the line last year, ending nearly two decades of heartbreak, and now they have the chance to go back-to-back!
Another interesting sub-plot heading into the Final was moved out of Bengaluru, and it has landed in Ahmedabad – which happens to be Gujarat Titans’ home ground. So RCB don’t get the home Final and the ground that gets it is the other side! This should be a cracking Final though between two quality sides.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Ahmedabad is the biggest cricket stadium in the world, and it’s usually a batter’s paradise in T20 cricket – however that hasn’t quite been the case this season, with scores on the lower side compared to what we’re used to here. The first innings in IPL 2026 have been 210/6 (won), 180 all out (chased), 199/5 (won), 155 all out (chased), 163/9 (chased) and 168/5 (won) and 229/4 (won). A fairly big range of scores there, and I wouldn’t go into this game just expecting a big score as we have done in the past few years. We could get a heavy dew, which would aid the batters as the ball becomes difficult for the bowlers to grip, and that would be the thing that opens the scoring up for a big total. I’d keep an open mind here and see what conditions are like early.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s no surprise to see a reasonably open market – we have two top sides here. It’s also surprise to see RCB come into the Final as the favourites at 1.89 – they’ve been the team of the tournament, they’re the defending champions, and they hammered Gujarat in Qualifier 1. On quality and form alone it’s hard to argue with them being on top of the market. Kohli is in the form of his life, the Hazlewood/Bhuvneshwar new-ball pairing has been the best in the competition, and they simply know how to win these games now. I actually feel that the 1.89 offers a bit of value, especially after seeing the game earlier in the week between the sides. Gujarat have the considerable advantage of effectively playing this one at home in conditions they know better than anyone, so I’m happy to keep stakes small but I feel RCB can go back-to-back.
The Edge Says:
One point win Royal Challengers Bengaluru to beat Gujarat Titans at 1.89 with Betdaq Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/IPRyGu
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
As noted above, Ahmedabad has not been the venue to blindly back the batters this season, so the in-running strategy has to wait until we see what the conditions are doing. The big question, as ever, is the dew – if we get a heavy dew we should see a 200+ game given the firepower both batting sides have. The RCB batting line-up has been in excellent form though, and you’d have a lot more confidence in them. If it stays away though, this can be a trickier surface than the reputation suggests, and a par score might be a good bit lower than people expect. The new ball is where this Final could be decided, with Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar on one side and Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj on the other – two excellent attacks who can rip through; that’s the only time I’d support either bowling side.
