Rasikh Salam, Virat Kohli star as RCB wins second IPL title

Ahmedabad, Jun 01: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted their second Indian Premier League (IPL) title after defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Chasing a target of 156 runs, RCB comfortably reached 161/5 in 18 overs with Virat Kohli anchoring the innings through an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes. Venkatesh Iyer provided valuable support with a brisk 32-run knock off 16 deliveries.

Earlier, RCB bowlers produced a disciplined effort to restrict Gujarat Titans to 155/8 in 20 overs. Young pacer Rasikh Salam emerged as the star with the ball, claiming 3 wickets for 27 runs in his four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood also chipped in with two wickets each.

For Gujarat Titans, Washington Sundar top-scored with 50 runs off 37 balls, while Nishant Sindhu contributed 20. Jos Buttler made 19 runs, but the Titans failed to build substantial partnerships and were unable to post a challenging total.

During the chase, Gujarat Titans attempted to pull things back through Rashid Khan, who returned figures of 2/25. However, Kohli remained composed throughout the innings and ensured Bengaluru stayed on course for victory. Tim David added 24 runs, while skipper Rajat Patidar scored 15.

The triumph marked a memorable night for Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the franchise secured its second IPL crown. Kohli once again played a defining role in the title victory, while Rasikh Salam’s match-changing spell with the ball proved crucial in setting up the win.

With the victory, RCB finished IPL 2026 as champions, while Gujarat Titans concluded an impressive campaign as runners-up after falling short in the summit clash. (JKNS)