Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill has embraced the 'advantage' of playing at home as they gear up to take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on the evening of Sunday, May 31.
The Titans come into this clash looking to lift their second IPL crown. They have played in two IPL finals, both in Ahmedabad and have won one. Gill stated he can understand the advantage that they get from playing at home, due to the familiarity
with the conditions. They have won five out of seven games in Ahmedabad in IPL 2026.
"Honestly, I don't really get the burden of expectations. There are advantages, there's familiarity when we play here, as we know the wicket, the ground, so, we know what kind of cricket we need to play here to be able to win. So, in that context, yes, I see it (playing at home) as an advantage, because there's a little bit of familiarity. If you win, it's going to be a great season, if you don't win, it'll still be a good season, but it'll be better if you win," Gill said during the pre-final press conference.
One of the most significant contributors to the Titans' road to the final has been their bowling attack. They boast a dominant pace attack filled with hit-the-deck specialists, who have relied on bowling traditional Test-match lengths, which has worked to good effect. They have picked up the most wickets (118), boast the third-best economy rate (9.59) and the best strike rate (15.40) in IPL 2026. They have also bowled teams out five times, the most by any team in the league this year.
Gill stated that the instruction remains the same, as the plan has worked for them all season. Despite this, they will have to make alterations to the length based on whether the wicket is a black soil or a red soil wicket.
"The message is simple, when you're bowling with the new ball, if there is a little bit (of help) in the wicket, as a batsman I know the hardest ball to hit is the good length ball, but that good length changes according to the wicket - black soil, red soil etc - as it varies probably a metre back or forth. So, there's a reason why Test match length works, because it is the hardest ball to hit as a batsman with the new ball," Gill elaborated.
The Titans come into the final after beating the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 in Mullanpur on Friday, May 29. They restricted the Royals to 214 for 6 in their 20 overs despite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's brilliant 96. They chased it down comfortably with seven wickets in hand as skipper Gill scored a magnificent century, his fifth in IPL and first of the season.
