Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) scripted history in Ahmedabad on Sunday by defeating Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final to successfully defend their crown. With the victory, the Bengaluru-based franchise became only the third team after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to win back-to-back IPL titles.
At the heart of RCB’s triumph was Kohli, who produced a match-winning unbeaten 75 off 42 deliveries in the final. His knock, laced with nine fours and three sixes, helped RCB chase down the target comfortably and earned him the Player of the Match award, the first IPL final POTM award of his career.
While Kohli also added another remarkable achievement to his defining IPL career after guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their second consecutive Indian Premier League title. The star batter became the first player in IPL history to win two championships while scoring more than 650 runs in both title-winning campaigns.
The 37-year-old scored 657 runs in 15 matches during RCB’s title-winning 2025 campaign, Kohli followed it up with 675 runs in 16 innings in IPL 2026. No player before him had managed to score 650-plus runs in two separate title-winning seasons.
Kohli’s historic IPL trophy-winning seasons
IPL 2025: 657 runs in 15 matches
IPL 2026: 675 runs in 16 innings
The milestone adds to an already impressive list of achievements. Kohli now has two IPL trophies, two Orange Caps and two 600-plus run seasons that ended with his team lifting the title.
Kohli overtakes Rohit Sharma in elite IPL list
The Player of the Match award in the final was Kohli’s 22nd overall in IPL history. With that, he surpassed Rohit Sharma’s tally of 21 awards and moved to the top of the list for the most Player of the Match awards by an Indian cricketer in the IPL.
Indians with most IPL Player of the match awards
1. Virat Kohli – 22
2. Rohit Sharma – 21
3. MS Dhoni – 18
4. Ravindra Jadeja – 17
5. KL Rahul – 17
RCB bowlers laid the foundation
Before Kohli sealed the chase, RCB’s bowlers delivered a disciplined performance. Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck early to remove Gujarat Titans openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan inside the powerplay, putting the opposition under immediate pressure.
The bowling unit’s collective effort restricted Gujarat Titans to a manageable total, allowing Kohli to anchor the chase and guide RCB to another historic IPL triumph. With records tumbling and trophies arriving, Kohli’s 2026 campaign will be remembered as one of the finest chapters of his IPL journey.
