Kohli, bowlers lead RCB to second straight title

Monday, 1 June 2026 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kohli chose this final to hit his fastest IPL fifty and his highest playoff score, leading a five-wicket win with two overs to spare

It took them 18 years to win their first title, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took no time in becoming only the third team to successfully defend it.

Their seam bowlers made superb use of a slightly sticky surface after Rajat Patidar won the toss, restricting Gujarat Titans (GT), who were in their third final in five years of their existence, to 155, the exact same score RCB managed in the league match against the seam team in the same ground on the same pitch No. 6 bang in the middle of the square.

Josh Hazlewood, who has never lost a T20 or ODI final, set the tone with the wicket of Shubman Gill in his first over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar momentarily reclaimed the purple cap with two wickets, and Rasikh Salam capped off his best Indian Premier League (IPL) with three to take his tally for the year to 19. Last final’s Player of the Match, Krunal Pandya, who won his fifth IPL final out of five, also chipped in with the big wicket of Jos Buttler in his analysis of 4-0-23-1. He is now behind only Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu in number of titles, and is also the first player to successfully defend a title with two different teams.

Only three out of 26 scores under 190 in a full match had been defended successfully this IPL. With the ball still nibbling around, the best attack in the tournament would have thought they had a chance, but amid falling wickets, Virat Kohli chose this final to hit his fastest IPL fifty and his highest playoff score, leading a five-wicket win with two overs to spare.

Chief scores

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 161/5 (Virat Kohli 75*, Jitesh Sharma 11*, Rashid Khan 2/25)

Gujarat Titans 155/8 (Washington Sundar 50*, Rasikh Salam 3/27, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/29)