Finals are all about mental strength: Gill backs GT ahead of RCB showdown

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill believes mental strength, rather than physical freshness, will be the decisive factor when his side takes on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The Titans enter the title clash after a demanding week that saw them travel from Dharamsala to Mullanpur and then back home to Ahmedabad within a span of five days. In contrast, RCB secured a direct berth in the final through Tuesday’s Qualifier 1 and have enjoyed a longer break ahead of the summit clash.

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While acknowledging that RCB may hold a slight physical advantage, Gill insisted that finals are won by the team that handles pressure better.

“Yeah, I mean Dharamshala is kind of a difficult venue to get there and travel, but yes physically they might have an advantage but I think finals are all about mental [strength], so the team that is mentally up there for the challenge is the one that is going to win,” Gill said after scoring a match-winning century in the second qualifier in New Chandigarh on Friday.

Gill also brushed aside suggestions that playing the final at Gujarat Titans’ home venue could bring added pressure. Instead, the India Test and ODI skipper sees familiarity with the conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium as a significant advantage.

“Honestly I don’t really get the burden of expectations. Obviously there are advantages, that’s how I see it. There’s familiarity when we play there, we know the wicket, we know the ground so we know what kind of cricket we need to play there to be able to win so in that context yes I see it as an advantage because there’s a little bit of familiarity,” he said.

The Gujarat captain has been one of the standout performers of the season and will once again shoulder the responsibility of leading from the front as the Titans chase their second IPL title.

Reflecting on the evolution of T20 batting, Gill said that despite the growing emphasis on power-hitting and bigger scores, the fundamentals of batting remain as important as ever.

“Sometimes the wicket tends to be a bit on the slower side. Then it is important to hit the gaps, still look to run well because I think that is the foundation of any format you are playing. The team that plays less number of dot balls has a better chance of getting a better score, so yes the T20 game has evolved, you see bigger scores but the wickets have also gone a little bit flatter…”

Gill has adapted his own game to the changing demands of T20 cricket, improving his scoring rate significantly in the Powerplay this season. However, he made it clear that his focus remains on continuous improvement, regardless of format.

“I mean I’d be happy to play if I get picked for the T20 team but honestly I want to keep working on my game. It doesn’t matter what format it is. I want to keep getting better as a T20 batsman, as an ODI batsman, as a Test batsman… cricket is such a game you can never really get perfect but obviously you can strive for it and that’s what I try to do,” he said.

For now, though, Gill’s attention is firmly fixed on Sunday night, where he hopes to lead the 2022 champions to another IPL crown in front of their home fans.