Ahmedabad, June 1: The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) claimed the title of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, triumphing over Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the final held at Narendra Modi Stadium. Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 75 runs off 42 balls, including three sixes and nine fours, was named ‘Player of the Match.’
This victory marks RCB’s second consecutive IPL title, with Kohli expressing his joy post-match. “This is the moment you always dream of. I have imagined this moment many times, winning the IPL and standing here. Our team instills confidence to tackle any situation. Today’s game demanded just that. Young players inspire you to improve continuously and expect more from you. You need to contribute an extra 20-30 runs for the team. That’s why I had to shift my mindset to score those additional runs,” he stated.
RCB topped the league with nine wins out of 14 matches. Kohli added, “Our goal was to finish at the top of the points table in the league phase. Many asked which team we preferred to face in the playoffs, but we were indifferent to the jersey in front of us.”
Chasing a target of 156 runs, RCB achieved victory in just 18 overs, thanks to Kohli’s stellar performance. He formed a crucial partnership of 62 runs with opener Venkatesh Iyer (32) and added 41 runs with Tim David (24) for the fifth wicket.
Kohli praised his team, saying, “We are a professional team. Perhaps their plan was to get me out early, but I was confident that even if I got out, our batting depth could secure the win. There was complete clarity between me and my fellow batsman, and we aimed to rotate the strike. We set small targets for ourselves. Credit also goes to Venkatesh, who came in and did a fantastic job. I always say that we don’t just have seven home matches; we have 14. While Gujarat Titans were the home team, perhaps 90 percent of the crowd supported RCB.”
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