Published on: Jun 1, 2026 11:29 am IST|Updated on: Jun 1, 2026 12:54 pm IST
RCB IPL 2026 Champions: In 2025, emotions poured out when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted their first-ever IPL title after a long wait of 17 years. In 2026, there weren’t many emotions but authority, as it was just another day in the office when RCB finished a breathtaking Sunday night with their second IPL trophy on the trot.
Yes, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have claimed the coveted IPL 2026 trophy Sunday night at the colosseum-like Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, defeating the 2022 champions and the home team, the Gujarat Titans, quite convincingly in an almost one-sided affair by 5 wickets.
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Rajat Patidar has etched his name in history books as the only skipper in the league to win the title in his first two years as captain. The man who came into the setup in 2021 as an injury replacement of Luvnith Sisodia has embarked on a journey to become one of the most successful captains in the league’s history. Rajat is now the third most successful IPL captain after Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, who have two titles each.
The hosts and 2022 champions, the Gujarat Titans, didn’t had a good start with the bat after losing the toss. Asked to bat first, the Titans lost their reliable opening duo of Sai Sudharsan and skipper Shubman Gill inside 4 overs. The opening duo has been doing the bulk of the scoring for the Titans over the last two years, and both being dismissed early meant the Titans lost 50% of the game right then and there.
After losing their openers, GT went into recovery mode but kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Jos Buttler, who was pushed to no. 4 in the batting order, couldn’t get going as he struggled to middle the ball and eventually got dismissed for a poor 23-ball 19. The top order couldn’t get going, and the middle order, too, couldn’t retaliate. The only batter who stood tall was Washington Sundar, who batted with bare minimum risk to complete an unbeaten 37-ball 50 and help GT crawl to a total of 155 for the loss of 8 wickets.
RCB’s reply was led by their openers Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer. The duo started the innings in 5th gear, stitching together 62 runs in just 26 deliveries before Iyer lost his wicket, hitting a berserk 16-ball 32. After the left-hander got dismissed, RCB lost Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Krunal Pandya in quick succession as well, reducing them to 91 for the loss of 4 wickets in 8.5 overs.
However, they were never really out of the chase as Virat Kohli held his ground on one end and kept hitting crucial boundaries at the right time. Kohli stitched a valiant 41-run stand for the fifth wicket alongside Tim David and ensured the team was out of danger after three quick wickets. The chase master was always there in the middle to ensure RCB goes past the winning line and clinches the coveted IPL title for the second time in two years. The chase was impressive as ever from Kohli, who carried his bat with a scintillating 42-ball 75, an innings that saw him score his fastest IPL fifty in 25 deliveries.
The night was always going to be long, as the trophy triumph was the showpiece event of the night. However, before the winning team lifted the trophy, many individual awards were given on the night, including the Orange and Purple cap winners. Take a look at all the individual winners from the night.
Tags: IPL 2026