Stormy weather has disrupted the Gujarat Titans’ travel plans, delaying their arrival in Ahmedabad ahead of Sunday’s IPL 2026 final, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo. The setback leaves the Titans with less than 24 hours to prepare for their third IPL final, where they will take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Gujarat Titans were scheduled to fly out of Chandigarh on a charter flight on Saturday afternoon after their Qualifier 2 victory over Rajasthan Royals. But heavy rainfall across north-western India, in Punjab and Rajasthan, prevented airport authorities from granting take-off clearance in Chandigarh, disrupting multiple departures from the city.
As a result, the Titans are now expected
to reach Ahmedabad only after 10 pm, before making the additional 30-minute journey to their hotel in Gandhinagar.
This is the first time in IPL history that a finalist has been forced to travel just a day before the title clash, after BCCI decided to stage the three playoff games across three different venues instead of the traditional two.
In contrast, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru arrived in Ahmedabad on Wednesday and have enjoyed the luxury of two full training sessions ahead of their second successive Indian Premier League final.
“Yes, because after Qualifier 1 we got enough time to rest and recover. At the same time, GT are coming straight from Qualifier 2. There is some sort of advantage, but not a huge one because both teams are very good and have played excellent cricket,” Patidar said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.
Sunday’s final will be the fourth Indian Premier League title clash to be staged at the Narendra Modi Stadium. While the weather forecast looks favourable, the venue has witnessed a rain-hit final.
In 2023, the championship game between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans was affected by rain and had to be pushed to the reserve day.
