Published May 31, 2026 | 11:30 PM ⚊ Updated May 31, 2026 | 11:46 PM
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their second consecutive Indian Premier League title.
Synopsis: Royal Challengers Bengaluru thumped Gujarat Titans in the IPL final on Sunday night to secure their second consecutive title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After electing to field, RCB restricted GT to 155 for 8 in 20 overs, with Rasikh Salam Dar claiming three wickets and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood taking two each. Virat Kohli then anchored the chase, guiding the defending champions to victory after a brief middle-order wobble.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) title after defeating Gujarat Titans in the final at the latter’s home ground, the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night, 31 May.
Playing before a packed crowd, RCB produced a disciplined bowling performance after winning the toss and electing to field. The defending champion steadily dismantled Gujarat’s batting line-up and restricted it to 155 for 8 in 20 overs. Virat Kohli then anchored the chase with a measured half-century, guiding RCB home after a brief middle-order wobble.
RCB entered the final as one of the most consistent teams of the season. The defending champions won 9 of its 14 league matches, becoming the first team to secure qualification for the playoffs and later the first to book a place.
The team also never lost against Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, the two most successful teams in IPL history.
Sai Sudharsan and captain Shubman Gill opened for GT. Both were dismissed inside the first four overs. Gill hit Josh Hazlewood for four at the start of the third over, but the next delivery brought his wicket. Attempting another pull shot, he miscued it towards mid-off. Rajat Patidar took a relatively simple catch.
Sudharsan was dismissed 12 balls later. Bhuvneshwar Kumar first bowled a short delivery that he left alone. The next was short again, but this time Sudharsan attempted the pull, top-edged it towards short fine leg, and Jitesh Sharma ran across to take the catch.
Gill made 10 from 8 balls and Sudharsan 12 from 12. Nishant Sindhu arrived after Gill’s dismissal, with Jos Buttler joining him after Sudharsan fell.
Sindhu struck consecutive boundaries in Hazlewood’s next over. He scored 20 from 18 balls. In the eighth over, he advanced down the pitch to Rasikh Salam Dar and attempted a flat-batted stroke. The ball travelled towards the deep, where Devdutt Padikkal took the catch near the boundary.
Washington Sundar came in after and nearly became the fourth wicket in the tenth over. He attempted a pull shot against a short ball from Jacob Duffy, and the catch was taken at fine leg. The decision was checked by the TV umpire, who ruled that the ball had touched the ground during the catch.
After 11 overs, Jos Buttler had 17 from 19 balls and Sundar 5 from 9. Buttler’s innings ended in the 13th over. He stepped out against Krunal Pandya, missed the ball, and Jitesh Sharma completed the stumping. Buttler made 19 from 23 balls.
Arshad Khan replaced Buttler. In the next over, Sundar pulled Duffy for four before edging another boundary past the wicketkeeper. Arshad followed with a second six.
Arshad made 15 from 6 balls before Josh Hazlewood dismissed him in the 15th over. Attempting a pull shot, he got a top edge and was caught by Rasikh Dar at short fine leg.
Rahul Tewatia hit Rasikh Salam Dar for four over the wicketkeeper in the 16th over. One ball later, he attempted another big shot and sent the ball towards mid-on, where Rajat Patidar took the catch.
Jason Holder replaced Tewatia and scored 7 from 5 balls, including a boundary straight back over Josh Hazlewood’s head in the 18th over. In the next over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bounced him out. Holder attempted a pull shot, got a top edge, and Josh Hazlewood took the catch at short third.
Rashid Khan arrived with two overs remaining. His first ball from Rasikh Salam Dar disappeared over long-on for six. He was caught out the next delivery. Rashid attempted a pull shot, got a top edge, and Romario Shepherd completed the catch at deep backward square leg.
Sundar reached his fifty from 37 balls with a single off the penultimate delivery. Gujarat Titans finished on 155 for 8.
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Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli opened the chase.
Iyer was struck on the inner knee in Mohammed Siraj’s opening over and required treatment at the end of it. He continued and immediately attacked Kagiso Rabada in the second over.
Rabada’s first ball disappeared over cover-point for four. Two deliveries later, Iyer flicked him over mid-wicket for six. He then drove another boundary straight past mid-off before edging the final ball of the over over the wicketkeeper for four.
Kohli scored his first boundary in the third over when he flicked Siraj behind square on the leg side. Later in the over, he pulled another four through mid-wicket, while Iyer added a boundary of his own.
Kohli then took charge against Rabada in the fourth over. He hit four, four, six and four from four consecutive deliveries to take RCB to 42 without loss after four overs.
RCB scored the fasted fifty in an IPL but over the next four over lost two wickets.
Venkatesh Iyer fell first in the fifth over to Mohammed Siraj. Iyer attempted a pull shot, and the ball went straight to Kagiso Rabada. Iyer made 32 from 16 balls.
Devdutt Padikkal replaced him but lasted only four ball. In the sixth over, facing Kagiso Rabada he was caught by Arshad Khan.
Rajat Patidar came in at number four and struck a six off Siraj.
Then came Rashid Khan. Patidar attempted to hit Rashid over long-on, but the ball went high into the deep, where Kagiso Rabada took the catch right at the edge of the boundary. Patidar was out for 15 from 13 balls.
Krunal Pandya came in at number five. Two deliveries after taking a single from his first ball, he missed a sweep against a full delivery from Rashid and was given out lbw. Krunal spoke briefly with Kohli before deciding not to review.
Virat Kohli and Tim David then regained control of the chase. Their partnership took RCB to 100 for 4 after 10 overs. Kohli reached his half-century from 25 balls in the next over.
Arshad ended the partnership with the final ball of the 13th over. Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler completed the catch, but the on-field umpire did not give it out. GT reviewed immediately, and UltraEdge showed a clear edge. The decision was overturned and David was dismissed for 24 from 17 balls.
Jitesh Sharma replaced Tim David. Virat Kohli took a single from the first ball of Prasidh Krishna’s over. Jitesh then faced the remaining five deliveries. He scored six runs including a boundary.
Kohli then hit the final delivery into the air towards Shubman Gill. Gill dived forward and claimed the catch, but the decision was referred to the television umpire, who ruled that part of the ball had touched the ground. Rashid Khan came next and only allowed three runs.
RCB now needed only a handful of runs.
Virat Kohli took a single to third man from the second ball of Arshad Khan’s over. Jitesh Sharma then added a single of his own, edging the ball past the wicketkeeper towards third man.
With victory in sight, Kohli pulled a short ball between mid-on and midwicket for four to level the scores. He then struck the next delivery over long-on for six to seal the win.
