Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) successfully retained their position Indian Premier League crowned champions by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 31.
On a night that demanded composure and big-match temperament, Virat Kohli once again rose to the occasion, and produced an unbeaten masterclass to lead RCB to their second IPL title in as many seasons. Chasing a modest target of 156, the Bengaluru franchise reached 161/5 in just 18 overs, securing a memorable win with 12 balls to spare.
After being asked to bat first, Gujarat Titans faced a tough start against a disciplined RCB bowling attack. Sai Sudarshan and captain Shubman Gill fell inside the powerplay, leaving GT looking for stability in the summit clash.
Nishant Sindhu showed positive intentions by playing a quickfire inning of 20 runs in 18 balls, but RCB continued to take wickets regularly. Jos Buttler struggled to pick up the pace and was eventually stumped by Krunal Pandya for 19 off 23 balls.
Washington Sundar stood strong amid Gujarat's crushing defeat. The left-handed batsman led the innings beautifully and remained unbeaten on 50 runs in 37 balls with the help of five fours. Useful cameos from Arshad Khan (15 of 6), Rahul Tewatia (7 of 5), Jason Holder (7 of 5), and Rashid Khan (3 of 7) helped GT reach a competitive 155/8 in their 20 overs.
RCB bowlers performed unitedly in a high-pressure match. Rasikh Salam Dar emerged as a standout performer with figures of 3/27 Bhuvneshwar Kumar And Josh Hazlewood took two wickets each. Krunal Pandya also played his part with an economical spell, conceding just 23 runs and dismissing Buttler.
Chasing 156 runs to win, RCB got off to a great start thanks to Venkatesh Iyer. The aggressive left-handed batsman took on the Gujarat bowlers, scoring 32 runs in just 16 balls and ensuring that the defending champions dominated the powerplay.
Although Mohammed Siraj dismissed Iyer and Kagiso Rabada dismissed Devdutt Padikkal cheaply, Virat Kohli was not impressed. The experienced batsman brilliantly combined aggression with caution and kept the scoreboard ticking while neutralizing Gujarat's bowling threats.
GT got some hope when Rashid Khan dismissed Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya twice in a row. However, Kohli continued to dictate terms and found a reliable partner in Tim David. The Australian all-rounder played a crucial inning of 24 runs in 17 balls and effectively snatched the game away from the Titans.
Kohli played a brilliant inning of 75 not out off 42 balls with nine fours and three sixes, which shows why he remains one of the greatest performers in IPL history. Jitesh Sharma remained unbeaten with him and RCB easily crossed the finish line in the 18th over.
Take a look at how social media reacted to RCB winning the IPL for the second time:
Virat Kohli chooses the biggest platform to show what he is.
The fastest half-century of his career in the final. It has brilliance written all over it.
– Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) 31 May 2026
Congratulations @RCBTweets On winning continuously @IPL Topic. One of the challenges in the game is that success changes the questions you have to answer. Once you win, the job is no longer to prove that you can do it, but to prove that you can sustain it. RCB completed that challenge…
– Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) 31 May 2026
Back-to-back IPL titles are a remarkable achievement 🏆 @rrjjt_01 One should be proud to join the elite company of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as captains with back-to-back titles. @imVkohli to be yourself, @bhuviofficial Leading the bowling attack brilliantly and the entire team…
– Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) 31 May 2026
Very good. It was called before IPL… Back to Back Champions!!!
Congratulations @imVkohli, @rrjjt_01Mo Bobt, Andy Flowers and Sampoorna @RCBTweets Team.
From day one, this looked to be the most complete team of the competition. Consistent, clinical and worthy champion.…
– Faf du Plessis (@faf1307) 31 May 2026
RCB RCB…Congratulations to two time back to back IPL Champions. Namma Dodda Simhagulu roared loudly and made all of us very proud. You beauties did a great job.
– Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) 31 May 2026
Rory's performance has doubled in The Masters
PSG doubles the Champions League
RCB doubles IPL
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏺– Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) 31 May 2026
Records are special, but the way Vaibhav has carried himself throughout the season has impressed me even more 👏
A well-deserved Orange Cap. There's more to come 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6OSJAFF4ps– Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) 31 May 2026
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