IPL 2026 Final: Why GT Squad’s Travel to Ahmedabad Delayed Ahead of Title Clash vs RCB? Reason Explained

The Gujarat Titans' journey to the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad was severely delayed by thunderstorms, leaving them with minimal preparation time against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This disruption, which also cancelled the captains' photoshoot, has sparked widespread criticism on social media regarding the playoff scheduling and its fairness.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 final against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Titans have faced unexpected circumstances following their delay in travelling to Gujarat’s capital city for the title clash.

RCB and GT will lock horns for the much-anticipated battle for supremacy in front of over 1 lakh spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The RCB, led by Rajat Patidar, were the first to qualify for the final after defeating GT in Qualifier 1, while the Shubman Gill-led side defeated the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 to book their berth in the title clash.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans are set to face off for the fourth time in the IPL 2026, having previously encountered each other twice in the league stage and once in Qualifier 1. The upcoming title clash in Ahmedabad is expected to be a high-stakes encounter, as both teams look to leave their mark on the 2026 season.

GT’s Arrival in Ahmedabad Delayed

As the IPL 2026 Final is set to take place in less than 24 hours, the Gujarat Titans’ squad has been hit with a travel schedule disruption caused by severe thunderstorms in Chandigarh. According to the report by ESPN Cricinfo, the GT squad was scheduled to travel to Ahmedabad on Saturday afternoon following their victory over the Rajasthan Royals on Friday, May 29.

However, the travel was severely hampered by inclement weather, as severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in Chandigarh made it impossible for their charter flight to depart as planned. As a result, the Shubman Gill-led squad’s arrival in Ahmedabad was pushed to late Saturday night, allowing them limited preparations for the high-stakes final.

Shubman Gill addressed the press conference in Mullanpur, while Rajat Patidar held his media interaction at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Therefore, there was no pre-final captains’ photoshoot with the IPL trophy, as the Gujarat Titans captain was unable to travel to Ahmedabad in time for the scheduled session due to the weather-induced flight delays in Chandigarh.

Gujarat Titans likely to arrive in Ahmedabad only after 10pm tonight. 

- A delay in their arrival due to storm in Chandigarh. (Espncricinfo). pic.twitter.com/BDIbyvO8ui

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 30, 2026

Traditionally, the IPL playoffs have often been staged across two venues. However, for the first time in the history of the tournament, the knockout stages have taken place at three venues: Dharamshala for Qualifier 1, Mullanpur for Eliminator and Qualifier 2, and Ahmedabad for the final.

Meanwhile, the RCB squad arrived in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, May 27, a day after their Qualifier 1 win over GT on May 26, and had two training sessions ahead of the much-anticipated title clash. GT, on the other hand, will not have a training session before the final.

Social Media Erupts: Criticism Mounts Over Titans’ Travel Hurdles

Gujarat Titans’ delay in travelling to Ahmedabad ahead of the IPL 2026 Final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru has sparked a wave of reactions on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), with fans and cricket enthusiasts criticising the schedule gap between the playoffs and the final.

Taking to their X handles, fans and cricket enthusiasts expressed frustration over the late arrival, calling it unfair to GT, pointing out limited rest and no practice before the final, and questioning the scheduling that gave RCB more recovery time.

Others argued that the delay was unavoidable due to extreme weather conditions in Chandigarh, while some still felt GT were at a disadvantage with less recovery time and no proper practice ahead of the final.

Gujarat Titans is going to arrive in Ahmedabad after 10 PM & they have to play a big IPL Final tomorrow.

Just terrible terrible scheduling, there is a reason why winner of Q1 wins Final also.

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) May 30, 2026

Kudos to whoever designed this hectic schedule for the Playoffs 👏🏻 https://t.co/1NWRtUFuif

— Dhillon (@sehajdhillon_) May 30, 2026

Who designed this schedule lol
Q2 and Final should be in same venue if there is only 1 day gap.
Anyway 2nd trophy is coming 😋❤️ https://t.co/R1zn62qOjN

— F (@52ranchi) May 30, 2026

So no rest actually. Probably not something you’d want to have before a big finale. Huge disadvantage.

— Akanksha (@akankshahahaha_) May 30, 2026

A late arrival before final is definitely annoying, but at least they're playing at home in Ahmedabad. They know the stadium inside out anyway.

— Milind_Unfiltered (@aryamanmusic) May 30, 2026

Wtf??? Less than 20hrs left for final match and yet they have not Arrived??? Huge favouring for Haarcb by BCCI

— Gill Stan🐐🇮🇳🐐 (@MohBelalSh62975) May 30, 2026

Finals should be shifted by one day. How can we expect a team to play a finals with no rest.

— Kingslayer (@BalramCharaniya) May 30, 2026

So isn't it unfair to them that they will reach late nd wouldn't even get sufficient time for practice??
Who tf even schedules the finals like thjs

— 🤫will tell u later😝 (@hopegiver4747) May 30, 2026

This is unfair for Gujrat they are not getting proper rest before the final game .

— Vishal 007 (@vishaldora007) May 30, 2026

Storm in Chandigarh said ‘not on my watch’ to GT’s rest day 😭⛈️
Bro they landing after 10pm, playing at home but with jet lag vibes. RCB getting the full recovery spa while Titans get the red-eye special. Nature picking sides in the final fr

— crazyA$$nikka󱢏 (@thatshortguyxx) May 30, 2026

Since there is no reserve day for the IPL 2026 final, the weather-induced travel delay adds an extra layer of pressure for the Gujarat Titans, as they must transition directly from their late-night arrival into the title clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The GT will have their practice hours before the final in Ahmedabad, providing them with a brief, final window to acclimate to the pitch conditions and finalise their strategy before stepping onto the field to compete for the trophy against the defending champions, RCB.