Overview
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans in the IPL final to chase 161 for 5 in 18 overs, with Virat Kohli finishing unbeaten on 75 and winning Player of the Match.
- The title match took place at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31 and saw Gujarat post 155 for 8 with Washington Sundar scoring an unbeaten 50 and Rasikh Salam taking three wickets.
- Kohli’s 75 not out capped a 2026 season in which he scored 675 runs in 16 matches at a high strike rate and produced his fastest IPL fifty in the final.
- RCB’s success reflected depth across departments with early power from Venkatesh Iyer, a late contribution from Tim David, and key bowling performances from Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam.
- Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi swept the season awards including the Orange Cap and MVP, and attention now turns to RCB’s retention choices and planning for life after veteran stars before the 2027 mega auction.