Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) successfully defended their Indian Premier League (IPL) title after defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the IPL 2026 Final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
With this victory, RCB became only the third team in IPL history to defend their title successfully. Earlier, Chennai Super Kings achieved the feat in 2011, while Mumbai Indians did it in 2020.
RCB were the most consistent team throughout the season. They finished at the top of the points table with 18 points from 14 matches. Their dominance continued in the playoffs as they defeated Gujarat Titans in both Qualifier 1 and the Final.
Virat Kohli Leads RCB IPL 2026 Winning Celebrations
After the title win, Virat Kohli shared a celebratory post on X (formerly Twitter). The post featured pictures of him with the IPL trophy alongside teammates Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, and captain Rajat Patidar.
“We asked ourselves a question last year- can we go back to back?
Here we are again 🏆🏆❤️❤️,”
Kohli once again played a major role in RCB’s successful campaign. The veteran batter scored 675 runs during the season at an impressive strike rate of 165.85.
The 37-year-old changed his approach this year and attacked bowlers from the start of his innings. His powerplay strike rate of 174.8 was the highest of his IPL career.
Kohli also extended his record as the leading run-scorer in IPL history. He now has 9,336 runs in the tournament. He also registered a record-extending ninth IPL century during the season.
In the final, Kohli produced another match-winning performance. Chasing a target of 156, he remained unbeaten on 75 from just 42 balls. He reached his half-century in only 25 deliveries, the fastest IPL fifty of his career.
His brilliant knock guided RCB to victory and earned him the Player of the Match award as the Bengaluru franchise celebrated another historic IPL triumph
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