“Wanted To Finish At The Top”: Kohli’s 75 Not Out Powers RCB To Consecutive IPL 2026 Titles In Ahmedabad

Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat the Gujarat Titans by five wickets. The Tata IPL 2026 Final was at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday. RCB became only the third franchise with back-to-back IPL titles. They also became the first team holding consecutive IPL titles and a WPL title.

Virat Kohli led the chase with 75* from 42 balls. He hit the fastest IPL fifty of his career, in 25 balls. RCB reached 50 in 3.3 overs, the fastest team fifty in an IPL Final. The team had eight different Player of the Match winners this season.

"Wanted To Finish At Top" Virat Kohli On Composure, Season Flow & Support

Following the win, Kohli spoke about the group. "I said to a few of the boys that there didn't seem to be the same kind of pressure that there was last year. The composure of the guys really shone through tonight. After the break, we had a couple of losses, but we wanted to finish at the top."

"The win against MI gave us a lot of confidence. To have a group of players where you don't feel like you are the only one who has to step up for the team is amazing." Kohli also became the first player with 600-plus runs in four straight IPL seasons.

Krunal Pandya Praises Support Staff

Krunal Pandya took 1/23 in the final. He was the only player this season with more than 200 runs and 10 wickets. "There's no doubt about it, everything is special. It's like having kids, every IPL title is special because it's so hard to achieve."

"A lot of credit goes to the support staff — Mo Bobat, Andy Flower, DK, Omkar Salvi and Malolan. Half the victory is in the auction and we did a really good job there. I'm glad we've gone back-to-back with the trophies."

Pandya underlined what the run meant for the franchise. "After 18 years of waiting, to now have back-to-back titles is special and the supporters have been behind us throughout. Virat Kohli waited 18 years for that first title and now he has two championships in a row. That's special as well."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar values trophy over Purple Cap race

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 2/29 in the final. He ended with 28 wickets in 16 innings, the second-highest tally this season. "The trophy is the most important. I would trade it for the Purple Cap. The season went well, and there was a lot of planning ahead of it."

"When you take wickets, your confidence goes up. Going into a big game, previous performances and wins give you confidence. If I did not do well, Josh or Rasikh were always there. We were at our best tonight, and that's what we needed."

IPL 2026 Final: Key Records

Kohli scored 82 runs against Kagiso Rabada across their meetings this season. It was the most by a batter against a bowler in a single IPL edition. Rasikh Salam Dar finished with 19 wickets, the most by an uncapped Indian bowler this season. Krunal Pandya claimed his fifth IPL title.

IPL 2026: Bowling Stats

Batting Stats IPL 2026