New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final on Sunday, helping his bowlers make early inroads in what he described as a good batting surface.The decision immediately sparked a familiar debate that accompanies every IPL final: Does batting or bowling first offer a better path to the title?A look at the history of the IPL shows that there is no overwhelming advantage either way, although the teams that set the target have a slight edge in the biggest match of the tournament.Batting first has a narrow edge.In the 18 IPL finals played before Sunday’s title clash, the teams batting first lifted the trophy 10 times, while the chasing teams emerged victorious on eight occasions.Statistics show that scoreboard pressure has often played a role in finals, where nerves and high stakes can make chasing difficult even on betting-friendly surfaces.However, toss decisions tell a more important story.In the last eight IPL finals, the captains have chosen to field first. Of those eight opportunities, only four resulted in a title-winning performance for the team that chose to chase.The first such success came in the inaugural final of 2008 when Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings after opting to bowl. Kolkata Knight Riders repeated the feat against Punjab in 2014, while Chennai Super Kings successfully chased it down against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018.Mixed records for teams choosing to chaseSeveral captains who chose to field first in the final ended up on the losing side. RCB themselves experienced this heartbreak in 2009 when they chose to chase against Deccan Chargers and failed.Most recently, Kolkata lost to Chennai after opting to bowl in the 2021 final, while Punjab Kings suffered a similar fate against RCB in the 2025 summit clash.The Patidars, however, appeared unfazed by historical trends. The RCB captain said the level is unlikely to change significantly in 40 overs and stressed the importance of focusing on the present rather than dwelling on past results.Gujarat Titans captain Shibman Gill revealed that his side would have preferred to bat first anyway, believing that the pacers could help in the early overs.With history favoring teams batting first only slightly, Sunday’s final is unlikely to be decided by a toss alone. Execution under pressure rather than statistics may ultimately determine who lifts the IPL 2026 trophy.
