For 17 long years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) waited for their maiden IPL title, enduring near misses, heartbreaks and countless disappointments along the way. What once felt like an impossible dream has now evolved into an era of dominance, with Virat Kohli remaining the constant through it all. Just a year after finally breaking their title drought, RCB returned to the summit and stamped their authority once again, defeating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday to successfully defend their crown.

The victory placed RCB alongside the elite company of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as only the third franchise in IPL history to win back-to-back titles.

Having topped the league table and been the most consistent team throughout the season, RCB once again rose to the occasion when the stakes were highest. Their bowlers set the tone by restricting Gujarat Titans to a modest 155/8 after choosing to field, before Kohli (75 not out off 42 balls) rolled back the years in his 19th IPL season. Widely regarded as one of the greatest chasers in the game, the former India captain blended experience with intent, producing the fastest fifty of his IPL career to steer Bengaluru towards another title.

RCB’s chase got off to a flying start as Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer came out with attacking intent, adding 62 runs in just five overs. Iyer’s brisk 32 off 16 balls put Gujarat immediately on the back foot before Mohammed Siraj provided the breakthrough. Kagiso Rabada then reclaimed the Purple Cap by dismissing Devdutt Padikkal for his 29th wicket of the season, while Rashid Khan struck twice in his first over to remove Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya, briefly reviving Gujarat’s hopes.

But as long as Kohli was at the crease, RCB remained firmly in control. Battling visible discomfort in his legs, the 37-year-old absorbed the pressure and ensured the chase never drifted away. He brought up a sparkling half-century off just 25 deliveries with a boundary off Arshad Khan and continued to anchor the innings even as wickets fell around him.

Tim David played a crucial supporting role, scoring 24 off 17 balls and adding 41 valuable runs with Kohli to edge Bengaluru closer to the target. Although David’s dismissal gave Gujarat a glimmer of hope, RCB needed only 11 more runs when Kohli survived a major scare on 63 after Shubman Gill’s catch was ruled not clean. It proved to be the final twist in the contest. Kohli made Gujarat pay immediately, finishing the chase in style with a four and a six off Arshad Khan to seal yet another memorable night in Bengaluru’s history and deliver a second successive IPL trophy.

Earlier, Gujarat Titans were made to work hard for every run after being asked to bat first on a mixed-soil surface, as Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar relentlessly exploited the bounce and movement on offer with a probing back-of-a-length attack. The Titans struggled to find any rhythm for most of the innings before Washington Sundar’s unbeaten 37-ball half-century helped them drag themselves to 155/8.

Unfortunately for the home side, Sundar found little support from the other end as Gujarat crawled to 63 in the first 10 overs and managed only 92 in the second half of the innings, with the left-hander largely responsible for keeping them afloat. The Titans would have struggled further to reach that total had Sundar not enjoyed an early reprieve when Jordan Cox’s catch was ruled grounded by the third umpire, and he made the most of the lifeline by producing a composed knock that featured five boundaries to carry Gujarat past the 150-run mark.

The Titans endured an early scare in the opening over when Sai Sudharsan was initially adjudged caught behind. The opener, who had struck two boundaries in a 13-run first over off Jacob Duffy, survived after the third umpire overturned the decision. However, the relief was short-lived as skipper Shubman Gill departed soon after, top-edging a Josh Hazlewood delivery and offering a simple catch in the deep while attempting an attacking stroke.

Sudharsan followed his captain back to the dugout in the next over, top-edging a Bhuvneshwar Kumar bouncer to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma for 12, leaving Gujarat in early trouble. Rasikh Dar Salam then halted any hopes of a recovery by dismissing Nishant Sindhu, promoted to No.3, after the batter mistimed a pull shot and handed Devdutt Padikkal a straightforward catch.

RCB’s disciplined bowling kept the boundaries dry after the powerplay, and the mounting pressure eventually got to Jos Buttler. Attempting to break the shackles against Krunal Pandya, the England batter stepped out of his crease but was beaten completely, allowing Jitesh Sharma to complete a simple stumping. Every time Gujarat looked to build momentum, another wicket pulled them back.

Arshad Khan briefly injected some life into the innings by smashing the team’s first six in the 13th over, ending a 40-ball wait for a maximum — the longest a side has taken to hit its first six in an innings during IPL 2026. He and Sundar added a few useful boundaries before Hazlewood hurried Arshad into a mistimed pull that was comfortably caught at short fine leg for 15.

Rahul Tewatia’s stay was also short-lived as he miscued a lofted attempt off a cross-seam delivery from Rasikh and picked out the fielder at mid-on in the 16th over. RCB’s bowlers continued to dictate terms throughout the innings, leaving Gujarat desperately searching for stability until Sundar finally took charge and guided the Titans to a total that at least gave their bowlers something to defend.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 155/8 in 20 overs (Washington Sundar 50 not out, Jos Buttler 19; Rasikh Salam 3/27, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/29, Josh Hazlewood 2/37) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 161/5 in 18 overs (Virat Kohli 75 not out, Venkatesh Iyer 32, Tim David 24; Rashid Khan 2/25) by five wickets.