Ahmedabad, June 1 (IANS) Riding on Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 75 and a disciplined display from their seamers, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defended their IPL crown with a five‑wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the 2026 final at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Washington Sundar’s fighting unbeaten 37-ball fifty took GT to 155/8, though Rasikh Salam Dar’s 3-27 and early strikes from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept them in check on a mixed soil pitch. In reply, Kohli registered his fastest half‑century in the league off 25 balls and anchored the chase of 156 with trademark authority by remaining unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls – laced with nine fours and three sixes, also his highest score in the IPL playoffs.
It also continued a remarkable streak – RCB have not lost a game since 2025 whenever Kohli has scored a fifty, as he ensured the side joined Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings as the only teams to successfully defend their IPL title, while extending the streak of Qualifier 1 winners lifting the trophy to nine seasons.
The win completed with two overs to spare also means Josh Hazlewood remains unbeaten in white-ball finals while Krunal Pandya has emerged victorious in every IPL final he’s played in. GT, champions in 2022 at the same venue, were undone by disciplined RCB bowling and the scheduling grind of playing their third game at a third venue in six days, having reached Ahmedabad only on Saturday night due to inclement weather.
Kohli’s landmark knock then turned the final into a one‑sided affair, thus reaffirming his reputation as the man for the big occasion. With this clinical triumph in Ahmedabad, RCB have not only defended their crown but also cemented their place among the league’s most successful franchises, apart from having the rare honour of holding both WPL and IPL titles at the same time.
RCB’s chase began with Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer tearing into GT’s new‑ball attack. Kohli unfurled a flurry of wristy flicks (one of which went for a jaw-dropping six) and pulls against Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, and race to 28 off just 10 balls in just four overs, while Iyer smashed 32 off 16 deliveries despite battling a right knee niggle.
The pair brought up RCB’s fifty inside 21 balls – the fastest in an IPL final – and ensured the asking rate was never a concern from the get go. Iyer eventually lobbed a pull to mid-on off Siraj and Rabada, who had conceded 37 in his first two overs, eventually dismissed Devdutt Padikkal cheaply when he sliced to third man.
By then, the damage had already been done by RCB. Rajat Patidar joined Kohli and kept the tempo high by pulling Siraj for six, before swivelling off Jason Holder for four. Kohli, meanwhile, continued to keep going despite GT trying some mind games through Sai Sudharsan’s chatter. But GT struck right after first time-out when Patidar holed out to long-on off Rashid Khan, who trapped Krunal Pandya plumb lbw in the same over.
With Tim David joining the boundary hitting act, Kohli got his fifty in 25 balls after pulling Arshad Khan though short mid-wicket for a boundary, despite struggling with cramps in his right leg. Though David gave a feather edge behind off Arshad Khan after GT got the decision in their favour via review, Kohli and Jitesh Sharma hit exquisite fours to take RCB closer.
Kohli then survived a caught out decision on 63 as replays showed the ball touched the ground while Gill was trying to take the diving catch at mid-on. Fittingly, Kohli finished off the chase by pulling Arshad in the gap between mid-on and mid-wicket before smacking him over long-on for six to spark jubilant celebrations in the RCB camp and their loyal fans after clinching the IPL title once again.
Previously, amidst the collapse triggered by RCB’s seamers executing their plans with precision, Sundar stood tall for GT. He survived an early scare when a catch taken by Jordan Cox was ruled grounded, and went on to anchor the innings with a composed fifty. After being pushed into batting first by RCB, GT endured a shaky start as Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar exploited bounce and movement off the pitch.
Gill was dismissed for 10 – slicing a short‑arm pull to Patidar, while Sudharsan followed soon after top‑edging a bouncer to Jitesh for 12. Nishant Sindhu and Jos Buttler tried to steady the innings, but with no coming boundary after the powerplay, the former holed out to long‑on for 20. Buttler, frustrated by dot balls, advanced to attack off Krunal but was undone by a wide yorker and sharp stumping from Jitesh.
Arshad briefly lifted spirits by hitting the first six of the innings in the 13th over and breaking a 40‑ball boundary drought, before falling to Hazlewood for 15. Rahul Tewatia miscued a loft off Rasikh, while Holder top‑edged off Bhuvneshwar, and though Washington reached his fifty off 37 balls and Rashid cleared the ropes once to take GT past 150, it was never going to be enough to stop a rampaging RCB from defending the crown at the very venue where they had lifted their maiden title in 2025.
Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 155/8 in 20 overs (Washington Sundar 50 not out, Nishant Sindhu 20; Rasikh Salam Dar 3-27, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-29) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 161/5 in 18 overs (Virat Kohli 75 not out, Venkatesh Iyer 32; Rashid Khan 2-25) by five wickets
–IANS
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