History Repeated! RCB Defeat Gujarat Titans to Retain the IPL 2026 Crown

The roaring crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad witnessed a historic masterclass as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) by 5 wickets in the TATA IPL 2026 Final.

With this emphatic victory, RCB achieved the rarest of cricket feats: winning back-to-back championships. They join an elite tier of franchises—only Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians had previously successfully defended an IPL title.

Here is exactly how the ultimate match of the season unfolded.

The Scorecard At A Glance

Result: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 5 wickets (with 12 balls left).

Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (75* off 42 balls)

1. The Short-Ball Ploy: RCB’s Bowling Masterstroke

Winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar elected to bowl first—a choice that reaped immediate dividends. The RCB seamers came out with a crystal-clear tactical blueprint: relentless short-length targeting.

The strategy completely dismantled GT’s dangerous top order. Master class execution from veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Australian quick Josh Hazlewood removed dangerous openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan inside the powerplay. In fact, six of the eight fallen Gujarat wickets came directly off short deliveries.

Aside from a resilient, gritty half-century from Washington Sundar (50* off 37 balls), the Titans struggled to string together momentum. A disciplined spell by breakout bowler Rasikh Salam (3/27) kept a tight leash on GT, choking them to a below-par 155/8.

2. A Furious Start and a Record-Breaking Fifty

Chasing 156 for glory, RCB didn’t just walk out—they sprinted. Openers Virat Kohli and Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer absolutely dismantled the GT bowling attack early on, taking South African speedster Kagiso Rabada for 37 runs in his opening two overs. Together, they brought up the team’s 50 in just 3.3 overs—the fastest team fifty in an IPL final’s history.

Iyer played a spectacular cameo of 32 off just 16 balls before Mohammed Siraj found the breakthrough.

3. King Kohli Composes the Chase

While GT’s ace spinner Rashid Khan injected life back into the match by snapping up Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya in a single over to reduce RCB to 91/4, Virat Kohli stood absolute.

Playing with a mix of unmatched experience and unbridled aggression, Kohli smashed the fastest half-century of his entire IPL career off just 25 deliveries.

“Kohli remained the heartbeat of the run chase, steering his side through mid-game turbulence without letting the required run rate drift.”

Ably supported at the tail end by Jitesh Sharma, Kohli finished the game in ultimate style—smashing a maximum over long-on on the last ball of the 18th over to finish unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls*.

Season Award Closers

While Bengaluru lifted the shimmering trophy, the tournament’s top individual honors rewarded incredible consistency across the 2026 season:

• Orange Cap Winner: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
• Purple Cap Winner: Kagiso Rabada (Finishing with 29 wickets)

The night belonged completely to the bold in red and gold. From topping the league table to asserting total dominance over the playoffs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have officially built a modern-day T20 dynasty.