The Gujarat Titans faced a tense situation late on Sunday night (May 31) after their team bus reportedly caught fire while returning from the Narendra Modi Stadium to the team hotel in Ahmedabad following the IPL 2026 final.
According to reports cited by NDTV, the fire was caused by a short circuit in the vehicle. Fortunately, all players and support staff were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported. However, the incident left the squad stranded on the road for nearly an hour.
Players safe after late-night scare
The incident came shortly after Gujarat Titans suffered a five-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2026 final. What had already been a disappointing night for the franchise turned more stressful because of the unexpected fire on the team bus.
Also Read | IPL 2026 Awards: Full list of winners from a memorable season
Though the situation was brought under control quickly, the visuals and reports of the incident created concern among fans. Team members were safely moved away from the vehicle as authorities handled the situation.
Challenging travel schedule before final
The fire incident also capped off a hectic few days for the Gujarat Titans squad. The team had travelled from Dharamsala to Mullanpur on May 27 ahead of their Qualifier 2 clash against Rajasthan Royals on May 29.
No matter what, we are always proud of you! ˜Â pic.twitter.com/fwCsGOB9bg
” Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) May 31, 2026
Their scheduled departure to Ahmedabad on May 30 was reportedly delayed due to bad weather conditions in Mullanpur. As a result, the team reached Ahmedabad only late on Saturday evening, less than a day before the final.
Vikram Solanki on GT’s defeat
Following the loss, Gujarat Titans Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki addressed questions around fatigue and the team’s performance in the summit clash.
Also Read | Back-to-back glory: RCB silence Ahmedabad, beat GT to defend IPL crown and clinch 2026 title
"I don't want to take away from the fact that RCB have won by simply stating that we've had this number of games in these short days and we're fatigued and that's not really what we're about," Solanki was quoted as saying by NDTV.
"Admittedly, it (155/8) was a below par total but they showed great fight to try and defend it. We might make an assessment of what we might have done differently, that's a given. But I think you've got to accept that the opposition sometimes play well as well," he added.
