Our Bureau
Ahmedabad
A half-century from star batter Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) make history, successfully defending their Indian Premier League (IPL) title, getting their overall second title, beating a valiant Gujarat Titans by five wickets at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Put to bat first by RCB, GT scored just 155/8 in 20 overs, with Washington Sundar (50* in 37 balls, with five fours) and Nishant Sindhu (20 in 18 balls, with three fours) being the only one to cross the 20-run mark. Rasikh Dar Salam (3/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) took wickets regularly.
RCB started off well with a 62-run stand between Venkatesh Iyer (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Virat Kohli. GT showed some fight, reducing RCB to 132/5 at one point, but Virat (75* in 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) guided RCB to a win with two overs left.
This is RCB’s second IPL title win and overall their fourth Indian franchise cricket trophy, including two Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles.
In the chase of 156 runs, RCB started well with Venkatesh Iyer hammering Kagiso Rabada for three fours and a six in the second over, bringing 18 runs.
Three fours came against Mohammed Siraj in the next over, with Virat Kohli getting two of those. In the next over, the Indian batting icon went hammer and tongs against arch-rival Rabada, smashing him for three fours and a six. RCB was 50 runs up in 3.4 overs.
In the fifth over, Siraj removed Iyer (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes), with a catch by Rabada at mid-on. RCB was 62/1 in 4.3 overs.
Rabada got Devdutt Padikkal for just one run, with RCB reduced to 63/2 in 5.1 overs.
With a six behind the wicket from Virat, RCB ended the powerplay at 70/2, with Virat (35*) joined by skipper Rajat Patidar (1*), unbeaten.
Patidar and Virat continued to carry the chase forward, building another partnership.
However, Rashid Khan gave GT another sniff in the game, removing Patidar (15) and Krunal Pandya (1) in the ninth over, reducing RCB to 91/4 in 8.5 overs.
RCB managed to reach the 100-run mark in 9.5 overs.
Virat finally ended his 10-year drought of IPL playoff fifty, reaching his fifty in 25 balls, the fastest of his IPL career, with seven fours and two sixes.
Tim and Virat continued to build a partnership, reducing the deficit to just 30 in 42 balls. However, the partnership broke with Tim, inducing a thin edge, removing him for 17-ball 24, with three fours and a six. RCB was 132/5 in 16 overs as the 43-run stand broke.
Virat and Jitesh sealed the chase in 18 overs.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) restricted Gujarat Titans (GT) to a modest total of 155/8 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final.
A combination of clinical Powerplay bowling, sharp spin through the middle overs, and a top-order collapse left the Titans scrambling for momentum on the biggest night of the season.
After captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and put the opposition in to bat first, RCB’s seamers immediately hit test-match lengths. Shubman Gill looked to counter-attack early but fell victim to Josh Hazlewood after scoring 10 runs in the third over. GT was 22/1 in 2.2 overs.
Sai Sudharsan (12) could not contribute much either as he quickly followed his captain to the dugout. GT was 26/2 in 3.4 overs. Attempting to break the shackles against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sudharsan could only manage a thick top edge off a short ball, giving wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma an easy catch. By the end of the Powerplay, GT were reeling at 45 for 2 with Jos Buttler and Nishant Sindhu on the crease.
The introduction of spin only compounded Gujarat’s miseries. Krunal Pandya bowled a tight spell, giving just five runs in the seventh over. Resultantly, the pressure increased on GT batters and Nishant Sindhu fell trying to play a big shot as Rasikh Salam Dar took his first wicket of the day. Sindhu scored an 18-ball 20. GT was three down for 55/3 in eight overs.
In 10 overs, GT was 63/3, with Washington (4*) and Buttler (15*) unbeaten.
RCB bowlers continued to keep things tight with the bowling as GT could only reach 73/3 in 12 overs.
Krunal Pandya got a wicket in the 13th over as he got rid of Jos Buttler (19 runs off 23 balls), leaving GT stuttering at 83 for 4 after 13 overs.
Arshad Khan and Washington Sundar tried to revive GT’s innings as they got 16 runs off the 14th over but Hazlewood struck again in the very next over to send Arshad (15 runs off 6 balls) back in the dugout. Half the GT camp was down at 99 runs in 14.1 overs.
At the conclusion of 15 overs, Gujarat Titans stood at 105/5, with Sundar joined by finisher Rahul Tewatia.
RCB did not give GT any room to breathe as Rasikh Salam Dar struck again to get rid of Tewatia (7 runs off 5 balls) in the 17th over. After 17 overs, GT were 121/6.
Sundar and new batter Jason Holder helped GT get 16 runs off the 18th over to take the team’s score closer to the 150-run mark as they stood at 137/6 in 18 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar also added a second wicket to his day’s tally as he returned to dismiss Holder (7 runs off 5 balls) in the penultimate over. After 19 overs, GT stood at 145/7.
Rashid Khan came to the crease and made his intentions clear as he slammed Rasikh Salam Dar for a six off the first ball of the last over, but the bowler took his revenge on the very next ball as he dismissed Rashid, reducing GT to 151/8 in 19.2 overs.
While Sundar brought up a 37-ball fifty, including five fours, GT could only add four more runs in the last over as they finished with 155/8 in 20 overs.
For defending champions, Rasikh Salam Dar (3/27 in 4 overs), Bhuvneshwar (2/29 in 4 overs), and Josh Hazlewood (2/37 in 4 overs) shone with the ball, while Krunal Pandya also claimed a wicket.
Brief Scores: GT: 155/8: (Washington Sundar 50*, Nishant Sindhu 20, Rasikh Salam 3/27) lose to RCB: 161/5 in 18 overs (Virat Kohli 75*, Venkatesh Iyer 32, Rashid Khan 2/25).
