New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) Former India cricketer and national selector Jatin Paranjape believes the result of Sunday’s IPL 2026 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad hinges on one question – can Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood break the Shubman Gill-Sai Sudharsan partnership before it takes the game away from RCB?

The Gill-Sudharsan opening pair has been the most dominant partnership in IPL 2026 – they have amassed 886 runs together at an average of 63.3 and a strike rate of 177, the highest aggregate by any opening combination in this season.

The success of that partnership has a near-binary effect on GT’s results. When the two bat past the fifth over together, GT have won six of seven games. When the stand is broken before that point, they have won four and lost as many games. The bottom line is simple – GT becomes beatable the moment their openers are separated early.

As per statistics, Bhuvneshwar is the bowler best equipped to do the damage. He has dismissed Gill six times in 14 IPL innings, including twice this season. Hazlewood, meanwhile, has dismissed Sudharsan twice in two IPL innings this season.

Bhuvneshwar (26 wickets) currently trails Kagiso Rabada (28 wickets) in the Purple Cap race, and should the former finish as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, he would become the first bowler in IPL history to win the Purple Cap three times after having previously claimed it in 2016 and 2017.

“The key player battles are Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hazlewood versus Sai Sudarshan and Shubman Gill, because Gill and Sudarshan have been the most successful opening pair this year in the IPL, and if RCB can price them out earlier, the game could split wide open,” Paranjape said in an exclusive conversation with IANS on Saturday.

At the same time, RCB’s top order will face a stern test against GT’s in‑form new‑ball pair of Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, whose availability after picking up a shoulder issue will be keenly watched. Rabada has enjoyed success against Virat Kohli in T20s, dismissing him five times in 17 innings. Siraj, meanwhile, has troubled Devdutt Padikkal, removing him three times in eight IPL innings.

While the powerplay battle is a major tactical subplot in deciding who wins their second IPL title, Paranjape believes winning the final carries a deeper significance for both teams – particularly for Gill, who’s been on song in his more attacking and determined avatar, especially after being omitted from India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign in December last year.

“I think the significance of this final is very critical for both teams. For RCB, it will mean that they will have won the title a second year in a row, so it could be the start of a streak of dominance for them.

“For the Gujarat Titans, they won it last in 2022, I think, if I’m not mistaken, and they lost a close final to CSK (in 2023). But I think more than for the Gujarat Titans, the significance will be more for Shubman Gill, because he’s the captain of India in two formats.

“And as captain of India, you want to win the biggest T20 tournament in the world as well, because I’m sure he would like to captain India in T20 cricket as well. So for RCB, it’s more a team significance. For the Gujarat Titans, it’s team plus slightly significant for the captain as an individual as well,” he elaborated.

Gill, who hit a majestic 104 in the Qualifier 2 victory over Rajasthan Royals, arrives at this final as GT’s most prolific scorer in Ahmedabad in IPL history – 1,374 runs in 31 innings at an average of 49.1. But against RCB, his numbers dip sharply: 395 runs at an average of just 28.2 – his lowest against any IPL opponent.

Three of his last five innings against RCB have yielded single-digit scores, including two ducks. History says the Qualifier 1 winner has gone on to lift the IPL trophy every year since 2018. RCB won that game this time around, after beating GT by 92 runs in Dharamshala.

With eight different players winning the Player of the Match award, RCB have the depth and collective performances to defend the title they won in Ahmedabad in 2025. Whether that streak translates into consecutive titles for RCB, or Gill claims his moment as a captain on the biggest stage of them all at GT’s backyard, rests on what happens in the first six overs at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

–IANS

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