So friends, after running for more than two months, yesterday the Indian Premier League (IPL) got over. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the IPL 2026 title by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. By doing so, RCB successfully defended their crown to win back-to-back titles, joining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) as the only franchise to ever retain the trophy.
RCB’s comprehensive championship victory was defined by a calculated bowling blueprint and a clinical top-order run chase.
How RCB Won the Final Match
RCB chased down a target of156 with two overs to spare, finishing at 161/5 in 18 overs.
- The Bowling Blueprint: After captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to field, RCB’s seamers executed a highly disciplined short-ball strategy. Six out of the eight GT batters were dismissed via short-pitched deliveries. Rasikh Salam Dar spearheaded the collapse with3/27, while veteran pacers Josh Hazelwood and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar choked the runs, picking up two wickets each. They restricted GT to sub-par 155/8, despite a lone fighting half-century by Washington Sundar.
- The Blistering Powerplay: Impact player Venkatesh Iyer (32 off 16 balls) and Virat Kohli completely dismantled GT’s star bowler Kagiso Rabada early on, taking 37 runs from his first two overs. Together they, they brought up the fastest team fifty in IPL final history (3.3 overs), giving RCB an unassailable advantage.
- The Kohli Masterclass: Despite a mid-innings scare where GT spinner Rashid Khan picked up tqo quick wickets (dismissing Patidar and Krunal Pandya in one over), Virat Kohli anchored the chased flawlessly. Kohli smashed his fastest-ever half-century off just 25 balls and remained unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls. He punctuated the victory by hitting six over long-on on the final delivery of 18th over
Why RCB Dominated the IPL 2026 Season
RCB’s championship was not a stroke of luck, but a reflection of a well-oiled squad that dominated the entire tournament.
- Consistent Table-Toppers: RCB displayed supreme consistency, becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs and comfortably finishing at the top of the league stage points table.
- Playoff Masterclass: Before the final, RCB brutally outclassed GT in Qualifier1 at Dharamshala, where they posted an IPL playoff record score of 254/5, courtesy of a blistering unbeaten 93 off 33 balls from captain Rajat Patidar.
- Shift to complete Depth: In post-match reflections, Player of the Match Virat Kkohli highlighted that the 2026 squad shifted away from relying on a singular individual. The depth in bowling unit-comprising Hazlewood, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy and Raskih Dar-consistently bailed the team out of tough positions across the season.
Reflection on Virat Kohli
Not many men on the field on Sunday night might have known about the fragility of IPL finals quite like Kohli. He experienced the heartbreaks of 2009 and 2011 as a youngster, and the agony of 2016, by which time he was already RCB’s central figure. Arguably the greatest season of his batting career was not enough to ensure crowning glory then.
While last year’s title finally brought glory, opportunities like the one on Sunday night were not guaranteed. Which is why the ‘stuff of dreams’ offered a glimpse into the fire that still burns. Perhaps that explains why he was keyed up to be everywhere throughout the evening- not unusual for Kohli. Whether it was field placements, encouragement, celebrations or conversations with teammates, Kohli was at the centre of every camera frame.
There may have been time, perhaps even until a couple of years ago, when Kohli would have approached the middling chase of 156 differently. But over the past two seasons, he has spoken repeatedly about the need to evolve alongside the younger generation.
For much of the evening, he did not bother to dream of winning, until it became reality. The huddle before the game, the urgency on the field, the constant involvement in the chase, and refusal to celebrate before the actual win, all pointed in the same direction. Eventually, he got the ending the way he wanted, a six over long-on to finish the game.
He remains the only player who has been with only one franchise from the start of IPL, and in his case that is RCB.
In the end, well done, RCB.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
1st June 2026