Analysis of both final captains:Injury replacement Patidar led RCB to title glory, Gill’s astute leadership made GT consistent

Both teams for the IPL 2026 final have been decided. The title match will be held between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on June 31. Both teams are waiting for their second title. RCB captain Rajat Patidar led Bengaluru to the final for the second consecutive time. He scored an unbeaten innings of 93 runs against Gujarat in Qualifier-1, leading his side to victory. Meanwhile, Gujarat captain Shubman Gill had lost in the 2025 playoffs. But this time, he scored a century against Rajasthan and took his team to the final. Understand the strategy and analysis of the captains of both teams reaching the final in 3 factors… i. When did they become captain, and what was their record in captaincy?
ii. What strategy did they adopt? How was their personal performance?
iii. What were the experts’ opinions and their overall record? 1. Rajat Patidar (RCB) I. Captained in two seasons and reached the final both times Bengaluru reached the final for the fifth time overall. The team had played the final in 2009, 2011, 2016, and 2025 before this season. Rajat Patidar is leading the team for the second season and has led the team to the final both times. In the league stage, Bengaluru finished first among 10 teams. Captain Patidar scored 5 fifties this season. Under his captaincy, the team defeated Gujarat, Delhi, and Mumbai twice each. Also, in Qualifier-1, they made the highest playoff score of 254/5. Rajat Patidar’s IPL Factpoint II. Patidar led the team by example Rajat Patidar has scored 486 runs in 14 matches this season. His strike rate has been 196.76. Rajat Patidar’s strategy in the tournament… III. Rajat remains calm even under pressure Rajat made Bengaluru IPL champions in his very first attempt. He captained Madhya Pradesh in India’s domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and led the team to the final in the 2024-25 season. Moreover, he captained in 27 IPL matches, leading the team to victory in 19. This means he has a 70% success rate. Regarding Rajat, former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif says- Rajat understands match situations very well. Franchises should trust players with captaincy experience in domestic cricket; Rajat is an excellent example of this. Meanwhile, RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik said- Rajat has handled the pressure of captaincy very well. As a captain, his humility and understanding of the game are very impressive. Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said- Rajat’s performance in knockout and playoff matches has been excellent. Given his captaincy and consistently good batting performance, Indian selectors should consider him. 2. Shubman Gill (GT) I. Gujarat to play its first final under Gill’s captaincy Shubman Gill has led Gujarat to the IPL final for the first time as captain. Before him, the team had reached the finals twice under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy in 2022 and 2023. The team will play its third final within 5 years. Under Gill’s captaincy, Gujarat won 9 out of 14 matches in the league stage and secured a top-2 spot in the points table. After losing to RCB in Qualifier-1, the team defeated Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier-2 to secure a ticket to the final. Shubman Gill’s IPL Factpoints II. Gill exemplary in both captaincy and batting Gill performed brilliantly in both roles, as captain and batsman, this season. He scored a century in Qualifier-2 and led the team to the final. Shubman Gill’s strategy in the tournament… III. Shubman Gill doesn’t panic under pressure Gill has captained in 42 IPL matches so far. The team has won 24 of these matches. As captain, his winning percentage has been 57.14%. In 2026, GT won 66.67% of matches under his captaincy. Regarding his captaincy, former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra said- Shubman Gill is a very calm captain. He doesn’t panic under pressure and reads the game well. This is his biggest strength.
Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel said- Gill has handled the captaincy responsibility brilliantly in a very short time. He has won the complete trust of the team’s players.
Meanwhile, former Indian captain Anil Kumble said- Shubman’s leadership skills are continuously improving. He has proven himself in both batting and captaincy.