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Virat Kohli, the chase-master, concluded the IPL 2026 final in style, smashing a 6 off Arshad Khan in the final delivery of the 18th over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the match by 2 wickets and two overs to spare. Gujarat Titans wrapped up their season as the runner-up at their home ground, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Another golden frame for Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma as RCB remains the champion of IPL
After the stormy cameo by Venkatesh Iyer, it was Virat Kohli who stayed at the crease, came and focused, and claimed the title for the second consecutive season. In 2025, RCB got their maiden trophy after 18 years.
As soon as the batting maestro smashed the Gujarat Titans bowler over the long-on fence, the stadium leaped up in joy. Anushka Shamra was in attendance and joined the celebration.
After a long spell of trophy drought, it is raining titles for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Ahead of the match, when everyone was talking about what could happen in the contest, the atmosphere was tense as nobody knew what was going to happen in the next few hours.
However, Virat Kohli looked happy, smiling on the ground along with his teammate and friend AB de Villiers. There was no sign of pressure on the batter's face, only a few moments away from the toss, and then the first over of the match.
RCB came with a rock-solid plan against the Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans, who defeated RCB on the same pitch in this season, during the group phase of the tournament, found no match in the final. Bengaluru simply dominated the Shubman Gill-led team in all departments.
RCB's game plan was nothing fancy. They knew that GT's main strength in their batting was their top order. If the top order batters got a little bit of opportunity to play freely, then the momentum of the contest could be different. In the lead-up to the final, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharshan were in fabulous form. Gill scored a hundred as well against the Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier 2 match, when Gujarat was in a do-or-die situation.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, the experienced pacers duo of RCb, offered the team the best possible start by clinching the wickets of Gill and Sudharshan in quick intervals. Josh Buttler went back quickly as well. If Washington Sundar had not fought back and scored the unbeaten 50 off 37, then Gujarat could have folded long ago.
Virat Kohli made the difference
Considering the nature of the pitch, the 156-run target looked challenging on paper. GT is poised to make a comeback when they picked the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Krunal Pandya in a short time span. Mohammed Siraj and Rashid Khan, using all of their experiences, tried their best to retain stay relvant in the contest.
Virat made the difference in the end. The match set another example of why Virat Kohli is labelled as the chase master.
Read More: Watch: Virat Kohli and Sai Sudharsan involved in a heated exchange during IPL 2026 final.
