The wait for an RCB trophy used to be a long-running joke in the cricketing world. Now? They are building a dynasty.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have successfully defended their crown, defeating the Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the IPL 2026 Final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. By lifting the trophy this year, RCB joins the elite company of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as the only franchises to win back-to-back IPL titles.
Here is a complete breakdown of everything that went down in the epic 2026 finale.
Match Summary: How It Happened
Opting to field first, RCB captain Rajat Patidar set a clear plan to neutralize GT’s top order during the powerplay. The Bengaluru bowling attack executed perfectly, restricting a potent Gujarat lineup to a modest total that was easily chased down.
| Team | Score | Overs |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 155/8 | 20.0 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 161/5 | 18.0 |
Result: RCB won by 5 wickets with 2 overs to spare.
The “King” Kohli Show
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. In his 19th IPL season, Virat Kohli proved once again why he is the master of the chase.
Kohli anchored the innings perfectly, smashing an unbeaten 75 off just 42 deliveries. He not only controlled the tempo of the chase alongside opening partner Venkatesh Iyer but also had the fairytale finish of hitting the winning runs to seal the championship.
“It’s the stuff that you dream of,” Kohli said after the match. “I’ve thought of this moment many times—that when we win the IPL, I should be standing there hitting the winning runs. Tonight it was possible.”
IPL 2026 Award Winners & Records
While RCB took home the grand prize, several spectacular individual performances defined the 2026 season. The absolute breakout star of the year was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who swept almost every major batting award.
- Player of the Match (Final): Virat Kohli (75 off 42 balls)
- Player of the Tournament (MVP): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Orange Cap (Most Runs): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (776 runs)
- Purple Cap (Most Wickets): Kagiso Rabada (29 wickets)
- Emerging Player of the Season: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Super Striker of the Season: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (237.3 Strike Rate)
- Most Sixes: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (72 Sixes)
- Catch of the Season: Manish Pandey (for a blinder at backward point to dismiss Tim David)
- Most Dot Balls: Mohammed Siraj (172 dot balls)
- Most Fours: Sai Sudharsan (75 fours)
- Fairplay Award: Punjab Kings
What the Captains Said
Rajat Patidar (RCB Captain):
“To be honest, I never dreamt of being a captain and lifting a trophy for RCB. I think it was all written and I’m grateful for it. This one is for you again, RCB fans – Ee Salanu Cup Namdu!”
Shubman Gill (GT Captain):
“Had we restricted them to around 50-55 runs in the powerplay, we still would have had a chance. But they got away a little bit… Even if we had won the trophy, there were still things we felt as a group that we needed to work on.”
What was your favorite moment of IPL 2026? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
