Virat Kohli delivered on the biggest night as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets to win the IPL 2026 title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Chasing 156, Kohli struck an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls as RCB reached 161 for 5 in 18 overs. The win gave RCB their second straight IPL title after their maiden triumph in 2025.
Kohli hit nine fours and three sixes in a composed chase. He also sealed the final with a six, giving RCB victory with 12 balls to spare.
RCB’s chase started strongly through Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer. The pair added 62 for the opening wicket before Iyer fell for 32 off 16 balls. Gujarat tried to fight back through Rashid Khan, who removed Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya in the same over.
But Kohli stayed calm. He rebuilt the innings with Tim David, who made 24, and then finished the job with Jitesh Sharma at the other end.
Earlier, RCB’s bowlers set up the win by restricting Gujarat to 155 for 8 after choosing to field. Rasikh Salam Dar led the attack with 3 for 27. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 2 for 29, while Josh Hazlewood claimed 2 for 37.
Washington Sundar was Gujarat’s main contributor with an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls. But Gujarat lost regular wickets and failed to build a big finishing push.
Kohli was named Player of the Match for his title-winning innings. RCB’s victory completed a dominant season and confirmed their rise as back-to-back IPL champions.
