IPL Final: The final of IPL 2026 is scheduled to be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday at 7:30 PM IST. Both RCB and GT teams are gearing up to win their second title. GT will play in their home ground, hence fans will reach the stadium in large numbers to support them, whereas RCB is one of the most popular teams. RCB fans are spread all over the country and are praying for the second title of this team.
Only those who play better win.
Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur and former cabinet minister, said, “The world’s biggest cricket league is reaching its peak today with the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium—the largest stadium in the world. We are ready to witness a tough contest between two teams who have performed brilliantly and consistently throughout the tournament. The team that plays the best, may it win—that’s all I can say. The stadium is very crowded and there is no space to set foot.”
Maharashtra government’s Fisheries and Port Development Minister Nitish Rane told reporters, “Cricket has a huge fan following in our country. That’s why we have come to the Narendra Modi Stadium with our families to enjoy the IPL match. Being in Gujarat, I cannot say that RCB will win.”
Cricket craze seen at Ahmedabad airport
At the Ahmedabad airport, cricket fans from different parts of the country were seen flocking to the official merchandise stalls. Fans bought jerseys, caps and flags of their favorite teams ahead of the much-awaited final clash, turning the entire terminal into a vibrant hub of cricket lovers.
Special puja and havan for RCB in Karnataka
In Karnataka, the eagerness for the title for RCB is not limited to sports only, but has turned into a deep faith. In Hubli, Karnataka Drivers Union organized a special puja in which they prayed with full devotion for RCB’s victory. Speaking to reporters, union president Shekhariya Mathapati expressed full confidence in the team’s abilities and said that the driver community stands strongly with Bengaluru as the team races to win its second historic IPL title.
This wave of spiritual support was also seen in Vijaynagar, where passionate RCB supporters performed puja and traditional havan with full devotion at the temple to seek God’s blessings for the team’s success. RCB fans are singing one line and that is ‘Ee Saala Mattamme Namde’. This means this time the cup will be ours again.
RCB fans paid tribute to 11 deceased supporters
However, there was also an emotional aspect of memories attached to these celebrations in Vijayanagar. Along with its prayers for victory, the Vijayanagar Cricket Association also paid tribute to the 11 cricket fans who tragically lost their lives in the stampede near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the IPL 2025 celebrations.
The association members appealed to all RCB fans to celebrate responsibly, and stressed that even though their passion for the game is unmatched, the safety of fellow fans must come first.
A fan told IANS, “We always perform havan, whether it is for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team or for India’s victory. This time too, we are praying that the cup should be ours. A grand yagya has been organized to make RCB the champion. I would also like to tell that last time we lost 11 of our friends, who were big fans of RCB. We are deeply saddened to lose them. If they Had he been among us today, our happiness would have been different. I pray to God to give strength to all those families to bear this loss.