Kohli takes the Bengaluru side home with an unbeaten 75; the bowlers restrict Titans to 155 for eight after Patidar asks them to take first strike; Washington wages a lone battle for Gill’s men.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru crowned a dominant IPL 2026 campaign with a crushing five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday (May 31, 2026), sealing the title with the same authority it had shown through the season.
RCB had set the standard from the opening weeks of the tournament, and reserved its best for the biggest night.
For a side considered favourite, the season ended in fitting fashion — as champion for the second successive year.
The RCB bowlers set the tone early at the Narendra Modi Stadium, relentlessly hitting hard lengths to strangle GT. A sub-par 155 for eight was never likely to be enough to seriously test a power-packed RCB batting line-up.
That gulf in intent was evident when Virat Kohli (75 n.o., 42b, 9×4, 3×6) and Venkatesh Iyer (32, 16b, 4×4, 2×6) came out attacking, in stark contrast to GT’s muddled innings. The pair took on Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada, powering RCB to 70 for two in the PowerPlay.
With the required rate dropping to 6.14, GT was left to play catch up.
Rashid Khan briefly raised hopes when he dismissed Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya in the ninth over, but with Kohli still around, RCB remained in control.
RCB capped a memorable campaign in emphatic fashion, crossing the line with 12 balls to spare. The 90,000-odd crowd, with RCB jerseys in the majority, erupted as fireworks lit up the Ahmedabad sky.
Patidar’s decision to field first was vindicated, as GT never quite found room to breathe. After the RCB pacers struck early, left-arm spinner Krunal tightened the grip with subtle changes of pace and trajectory.
Only Washington Sundar escaped the chokehold. His unbeaten 50 (37b, 5×4) was an innings of resistance, but it was a lone hand in a line-up that never settled.
Shubman Gill’s men appeared wary of RCB’s pace attack from the outset. Intent gave way to preservation, and preservation soon became paralysis.
Introduced in the third over, Josh Hazlewood removed Gill with a length ball. Sai Sudharsan followed soon after, miscuing while attempting to hook Bhuvneshwar Kumar. With its two premier batters back in the pavilion inside four overs, GT retreated.
The promotion of Nishant Sindhu to No.. 3 underlined the mood. Tasked with blunting the new ball, Sindhu could not shift momentum and the move only strengthened RCB’s control.
GT went nearly seven overs after the PowerPlay without a boundary. Jos Buttler, usually quick to change gears, crawled at under a run-a-ball. When he finally tried to accelerate, Krunal outfoxed him with a quicker delivery.
Even the death overs brought little relief. Washington alone kept the scoreboard moving. Dropped by substitute Jordan Cox on four, he dragged GT to a total that kept faint hope alive.
That hope vanished quickly once Kohli and Venkatesh came out to bat.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited / Graphs and charts edited)