Ahmedabad, May 31: The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) clinched the title of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the final match held at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 75 runs off 42 balls, including three sixes and nine fours, was named ‘Player of the Match’.
This victory marks RCB’s second consecutive IPL title, and Kohli expressed his joy, stating, “This is the moment you always dream of. I have imagined this moment many times, winning the IPL and standing here. Our team gives you the confidence to handle every situation. That is what today’s game demanded. Young players inspire you to keep improving and expect more from you. You need to add those extra 20-30 runs for the team. That’s why I had to change my mindset to contribute those extra runs.”
RCB topped the league with nine wins out of 14 matches. Kohli added, “Our goal was to finish the league stage at the top of the points table. Many asked which team we would prefer to face in the playoffs, but it didn’t matter to us who wore which jersey.”
Chasing a target of 156 runs, RCB achieved victory in just 18 overs, thanks to Kohli’s remarkable innings. He shared a 62-run partnership off 27 balls with opener Venkatesh Iyer (32) and added 41 runs for the fifth wicket with Tim David (24).
Kohli praised RCB’s professionalism, saying, “Perhaps their plan was to get me out early, but I was confident that even if I got out, our batting lineup had enough depth to win the match. There was complete clarity between me and my batting partner, and we wanted to rotate the strike. We set small targets for ourselves. Venkatesh deserves credit for coming in and doing a fantastic job. I always say that we don’t just have seven home matches; we have 14. Although Gujarat Titans were the home team, perhaps 90 percent of the audience were RCB supporters.”