AHMEDABAD, India (AP) - Cricket great Virat Kohli hit the winning six as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained its Indian Premier League title with a five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
I have thought of this moment many times, to win the IPL and stand here (unbeaten in the chase)," Kohli said. "The kind of team we have gives you confidence to face any situation. There is enough depth in our side. We had clarity - Venkatesh (Iyer), and I wanted to finish off the chase in the powerplay itself." With its first title in 2025, Bengaluru became only the third side to win successive IPL titles.
Chennai Super Kings (2010 and 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019 and 2020) previously achieved this feat. Kohli finished with 675 runs in 16 matches, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up 28 wickets this season. Kumar took 2-29 on Sunday, sharing four wickets with Josh Hazlewood (2-37), and restricted Gujarat at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Washington Sundar finished on 50 not out, hitting five fours in his 37-ball innings.
No other Gujarat batter topped 20. Medium pacer Rasikh Salam Dar took 3-27 in his four overs. Gujarat's Kagiso Rabada was the season's highest wicket-taker - 29 in 17 matches. Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryanshi was the highest run-getter with 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237. Full Scorecard - RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final, May 31 Royal Challengers Bengaluru 161 for 5 (Kohli 75*, Venkatesh 32, Rashid 2-25) beat Gujarat Titans 155 for 8 (Washington 50*, Salam 3-27, Bhuvneshwar 2-29, Hazlewood 2-37) by five wickets Match Highlights & Key Moments Gujarat never really gained any batting momentum and was down to 99-5 at the start of the 15th over.
Openers Sai Sudharsan (12) and Shubman Gill (10) were out cheaply. Krunal Pandya had Jos Buttler (19) stumped and, despite Sundar's knock, the Titans didn't look comfortable. Iyer hit two sixes and four fours in his rapid 32 for Bengaluru. Kohli and Iyer contributed 62 off 27 balls for the opening wicket.
Kohli got his half-century off 25 balls, his quickest in the IPL, and he finished the match in style with a six against Arshad Khan - a year after Bengaluru had won the title at the same venue. The final was a rematch of the first playoff on Tuesday when Bengaluru beat Gujarat by 92 runs in Dharamsala. Gujarat won the IPL in 2022. What This Result Means for IPL 2026 RCB have won their second consecutive IPL. On the other hand, it was GT's third final in the history of the tournament, with their only title win coming in 2022. Player of the Match RCB opener Virat Kohli was named the Player of the Match for remaining unbeaten and guiding the franchise to yet another trophy.
FAQs - Yesterday's RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final Q1: Who won yesterday's RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final? A1: RCB defeated GT by 5 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Q2: Who was the Player of the Match in the RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final? A2: Virat Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Match. Q3: What was the final score of yesterday's match? A3: RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final Royal Challengers Bengaluru 161 for 5 (Kohli 75*, Venkatesh 32, Rashid 2-25) Gujarat Titans 155 for 8 (Washington 50*, Salam 3-27, Bhuvneshwar 2-29, Hazlewood 2-37)