Agency, June 1: Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defended their Indian Premier League crown after defeating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
After being asked to bat first, Gujarat Titans struggled to build momentum and posted 155/8 in their 20 overs. Washington Sundar was the standout performer with an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls, while Nishant Sindhu contributed 20 and Jos Buttler added 19. For RCB, Rasikh Salam Dar starred with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 27 runs, while Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed two wickets each.
Chasing a modest target of 156, RCB received a commanding knock from Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 75 runs from just 42 deliveries. The veteran batter reached his fastest IPL half-century and controlled the chase brilliantly. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Bengaluru comfortably reached 161/5 in 18 overs to seal the title with two overs remaining.
The match turned in RCB’s favour through their disciplined bowling performance in the first innings. They consistently picked up wickets and prevented Gujarat’s powerful batting lineup from accelerating. Washington Sundar’s late resistance helped GT cross the 150-run mark, but the total ultimately proved insufficient against an experienced Bengaluru batting unit.
With this victory, RCB secured their second consecutive IPL title, becoming only the third franchise in tournament history to successfully defend the championship after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
