As the Final of IPL 2026 nears at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the two teams will play each other fourth time this season, the new owner of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Aryaman Birla, took to Instagram to show his support to his franchise. Ironically, Birla estates (a company owned by his father, Kumar Mangalam), sponsors Gujarat Titans.
This wouldn't just be a match between two IPL rivals, but also the fight amongst the Birla conglomerate. On his Instagram story, the Birla heir, shared the photo of both skippers, Rajat Patidar and Shubman Gill as they stood beside the trophy, Birla’s caption read, "Sorry @birlaestates, but today is red day ❤️🤪”
Gujarat Titans signed Birla estates as their primary sponsors ahead of the start of the tournament and Ananya Birla was present in an event showing support to Gujarat Titans, before Birla Group along with Times of India, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone for ₹ 16,660 crores.
After the acquisition, both Birla siblings, Ananya Birla and Aryaman Birla have shown public support to RCB by being in the stands for the team and also posting for them regularly on their Instagram handles. Interestingly, the RCB owner and the skipper were also teammates when Aryaman Birla used to play along with Rajat Patidar in the Madhya Pradesh state team.
RCB and GT gear up against each other to take IPL 2026 trophy to their home
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the dominant Gujarat Titans (GT) are locked in a historic blockbuster clash tonight to claim the TATA IPL 2026 trophy. The grand finale is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST under the floodlights of the massive Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both heavyweights are chasing their second IPL title, but the stakes and underlying narratives are completely different for each side.
After finally breaking their 18-year curse to lift their maiden title last season, Rajat Patidar's men stand on the edge of greatness. A victory tonight will make them only the third franchise in history to successfully defend an IPL crown, joining Chennai Super Kings (2010–2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019–2020).
Led by Shubman Gill, GT has built a campaign on sheer big-match temperament. After being outsmarted by RCB in Qualifier 1, the Titans scripted a massive comeback in Qualifier 2. They tracked down a steep 215-run target against the Rajasthan Royals, fueled by a sublime century from skipper Gill (104 off 53 balls). GT has an immense advantage playing in front of their home crowd. Furthermore, while RCB won the playoff fixture, it was GT who dominated and convincingly defeated RCB in Ahmedabad during the regular league stage.
