RCB Win IPL 2026 Title! Royal Challengers Bengaluru Beat Gujarat Titans by 5 Wickets in a Historic Final

“Ee Sala Cup Namde” — It Finally Happened. Royal Challengers Bengaluru Are the IPL 2026 Champions.

Published: May 31, 2026 | Match: IPL 2026 Final | Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | Weather: Clear skies, warm

The wait is over. The tears, the heartbreaks, the near-misses across nearly two decades — all of it washed away in one glorious evening at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the IPL 2026 Final, chasing down 156 with 12 balls to spare to claim their maiden IPL title.

If you were watching this match, you felt it in your chest. If you missed it, sit down — because what Virat Kohli and his team produced on May 31, 2026 is something cricket fans will talk about for decades.

IPL 2026 Final Full Scorecard: GT vs RCB

Gujarat Titans: 155/8 (20 overs) Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 161/5 (18 overs)

Result: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 5 wickets Toss: RCB won the toss and elected to bowl

First Innings: Gujarat Titans Bat — 155/8 in 20 Overs

RCB won the toss and, in a decision that would prove masterly, chose to bowl first under the clear Ahmedabad sky. What followed was a disciplined, controlled bowling performance that kept one of the most explosive batting line-ups in IPL history firmly in check.

GT Batting: A Steady but Insufficient Total

Gujarat Titans’ innings was defined by application under pressure — but they never truly broke free. Shubman Gill (10 off 8) and Sai Sudharsan (12 off 12) opened with promise, putting up 22 runs for the first wicket. But both fell cheaply inside the fourth over, leaving GT rebuilding far too early.

Nishant Sindhu (20 off 18) showed intent before being trapped brilliantly by Rasikh Salam Dar. Jos Buttler (19 off 23), coming at No. 4, played a carefully compiled innings but struggled to accelerate, eventually stumped off Krunal Pandya in the 13th over.

Washington Sundar was the GT innings’ backbone. The veteran batsman anchored the middle and lower order with a composed and ultimately valuable 50 off 37 balls (strike rate: 135.14). His innings held the GT innings together and pushed them past 150. Without him, 130–135 would have been a more likely total.

Mohd Arshad Khan provided a brief but electric cameo — 15 off just 6 balls including 2 sixes — before falling to a Josh Hazlewood stunner at 15th over. Rashid Khan (7 off 3, including a six) lit up the final over before being caught off Rasikh.

155 all things considered was competitive but not commanding — and every RCB fan knew it. The target was chaseable. The question was who would do the chasing.

RCB Bowling Figures (1st Innings):

Rasikh Salam Dar was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets, while the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the in-form Josh Hazlewood each claimed 2 wickets.

Second Innings: RCB Chase — 161/5 in 18 Overs

The second innings will be remembered as long as cricket is played.

Virat Kohli: 75 Not Out off 42 Balls — The Champion’s Knock

Numbers tell you part of the story: 75 not out off 42 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes, strike rate of 178.57.

But numbers can’t tell you what it felt like to watch Virat Kohli walk out to bat in an IPL final knowing everything — 17 years of IPL cricket, countless near-misses, the weight of a fanbase that never stopped believing — rested on his shoulders.

From the second ball he faced, it was clear this was different. He was loose, fearless, playing with a freedom that comes only when you’ve freed your mind from outcomes. Boundaries off Kagiso Rabada. A magnificent six off Rashid Khan over long-on. His touch was pristine, his running between wickets electric.

Kohli batted through the entire innings, unbeaten at the end, the last man standing — not out when RCB sealed victory with 12 balls to spare.

Venkatesh Iyer: The Perfect Platform-Setter

Kohli didn’t do it alone. Opening partner Venkatesh Iyer (32 off 16, SR: 200) was absolutely blazing at the top. He smashed 2 fours and 2 sixes and put on a rapid 62-run first-wicket partnership with Kohli in the powerplay. That stand changed the game. By the time Iyer was caught off Mohammed Siraj in the 5th over, RCB needed just 94 runs from 15 overs with 9 wickets in hand.

The match was, in real terms, already theirs to lose.

The Middle Overs and Tim David’s Contribution

Devdutt Padikkal (1 off 4) went cheaply and Rajat Patidar (15 off 13) fell trying to accelerate. For a few overs, GT’s bowlers — particularly Rashid Khan (2/25 in 4 overs, economy 6.25) and Arshad Khan (1/32) — put the brakes on. The required run rate crept upward briefly.

But Tim David (24 off 17, SR: 141.18) steadied the ship alongside Kohli in a crucial 41-run fifth wicket stand. David’s three fours and a six in the middle overs were precisely what RCB needed — calculated aggression to take the match beyond GT’s grasp.

After David fell in the 14th over, Jitesh Sharma (11 off 14, not out) joined Kohli and the two calmly steered RCB past the target in the 18th over.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 161/5 in 18 overs. Champions.

GT Bowling Figures (2nd Innings):

Rashid Khan was once again phenomenal — but even his brilliance couldn’t stop Virat Kohli.

Key Performances

Man of the Match: Virat Kohli — 75 (42) | 9 fours | 3 sixes | SR: 178.57*

“Ee Sala Cup Namde” — The Dream Made Real

For every RCB fan reading this: you’ve heard “Ee Sala Cup Namde” (“This Year the Cup is Ours”) for as long as you can remember. It was a hope, a prayer, a joke at their expense, and through it all — a genuine belief.

On May 31, 2026, at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, it became real.

What made this RCB campaign so compelling wasn’t just talent — it was cohesion. The team batting around Virat Kohli, the pace attack of Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood and Rasikh working in tandem, and Krunal Pandya controlling the middle overs with guile and experience. Every element came together in the final.

Shubman Gill and the Gujarat Titans gave everything. Their bowling, led by Rashid Khan, was accurate and threatening. Washington Sundar’s 50 gave GT a fighting total. This wasn’t a one-sided final — it was a proper cricket match decided by a genius innings from Virat Kohli.

IPL 2026 Final: Quick Facts

• Winner: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (their first-ever IPL title)
• Final Score: GT 155/8, RCB 161/5
• Margin: RCB won by 5 wickets (12 balls remaining)
• Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
• Weather: Clear skies, warm, no rain
• Toss: RCB won, elected to bowl
• Man of the Match: Virat Kohli (75* off 42)
• Best Bowler (RCB): Rasikh Salam Dar (3/27)
• Best Bowler (GT): Rashid Khan (2/25)
• Top GT Batter: Washington Sundar (50 off 37)
• Top RCB Batter: Virat Kohli (75* off 42)

What This Win Means

There are sporting victories, and then there are sporting moments that define generations. Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning the IPL 2026 title belongs in the second category.

For Virat Kohli, arguably the greatest batsman of his generation in T20 cricket, this IPL title completes a collection that already includes a T20 World Cup, multiple ODI and Test series triumphs — but this, arguably, is the one the man from Delhi wanted most. His home tournament. His team. His title.

For the fans — in Bengaluru and across the world — who cheered through heartbreak after heartbreak, this is vindication. Sport rewards persistence. This RCB squad earned every run of it.

Gujarat Titans can be proud of a season that brought them back to the final. Shubman Gill leads a young squad with real ability. Their time will come.

But today belongs to RCB. Today, and for a long time after, Ee Sala Cup Namde.

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