Is there a reserve day for today’s RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final in Ahmedabad? 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Final is all set to be played between the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on Sunday, May 31. Both franchises are eyeing their second title after an impressive and dominant league stage campaign over the last couple of months.

The final, however, might not be a straightforward contest as the local meteorological department has declared a Yellow Alert for the city on the day of the final. Ahmedabad, much like the majority of India, is dealing with a serious heatwave, with temperatures consistently touching the 40 degree celsius mark during the day.

During the evening, when the final is slated to be held, the weather forecast predicts high wind speeds and potential thunderstorms, which could lead to interruptions over the course of the contest. Despite the provision of a stretched cut-off time for the last resort 5-over-per-side match, the possibility of the match being washed out cannot be ruled out either.

As per the regulations, there is a reserve day in place for the final, which is Monday, June 1, in case the match is unable to be completed on the scheduled day. It is to be noted that, the reserve day will only come into play after all options of conducting the match on the initial date are exhausted.

“For the play-off matches, in addition to the extra time referred to above, there may be reserve days (on which an incomplete play-off match shall be completed),” section 13.3.7 in the IPL 2026 Match Playing Conditions mentions.

However, the catch here is the fact that the weather forecast for the reserve day is not looking too optimistic either. According to the initial forecast, the chances of rain are higher on June 1, than on May 31.

In the rarest of rare instances where no play is possible on both days, RCB will be declared winners because of their higher finish in the points table during the league phase. Although both teams finished with the same number of points, the Rajat Patidar-led side had a superior net run-rate.

IPL 2023 Final between CSK and GT at the same venue was conducted on the reserve day as well

A similar run of events had occurred during the IPL 2023 Final between CSK and GT after the scheduled day of the final was entirely washed out without a single ball being bowled.

Rain made an appearance during the reserve day as well, shortening the second innings to 15 overs, where CSK had to chase down a revised target to clinch their fifth IPL title.