The IPL 2026 Final is over — and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have done it. On a warm Sunday evening at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, RCB chased down 156 with 12 balls to spare, beating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets to become IPL 2026 champions. Virat Kohli walked off unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls, and the sport found one of its greatest moments.
Vegas11 News was at the ground for every ball of the IPL 2026 Final — here is the full report.
IPL 2026 Final Result: RCB Beat GT by 5 Wickets
Gujarat Titans: 155/8 in 20 overs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 161/5 in 18 overs
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Toss: RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first
IPL 2026 Final: How GT Batted — Washington Sundar Fights Alone
RCB won the toss and sent GT in to bat. It proved to be the right call almost immediately. The Gujarat Titans top order, packed with international talent, simply could not get going on a surface that offered early movement to the seamers.
Shubman Gill, the GT captain, was the first to go. He made 10 off 8 before a sharp catch by Rajat Patidar off Josh Hazlewood ended his innings at 22/1. Sai Sudharsan, GT’s most consistent batter through the IPL 2026 season, fell shortly after for 12. Two top-order wickets inside four overs — the IPL 2026 Final was already going RCB’s way.
Nishant Sindhu offered some resistance, scoring 20 off 18 balls before being dismissed by the outstanding Rasikh Salam Dar. Jos Buttler, the big overseas hope, was painfully slow — 19 off 23 balls before being stumped off Krunal Pandya. GT were strangled in the middle overs.
Washington Sundar, however, refused to surrender. Batting through the carnage, he compiled a gritty 50 off 37 balls — 5 fours, strike rate 135. It was the kind of innings that deserved to win a match. It just did not win this one.
In the death overs, Arshad Khan smashed a brutal 15 off just 6 deliveries — 2 sixes, strike rate 250 — and Rashid Khan added a quick 7 before holing out. GT finished on 155/8. On this ground, in the IPL 2026 Final, that was not going to be enough.
GT Batting Scorecard — IPL 2026 Final
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sai Sudharsan | 12 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Shubman Gill (C) | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Nishant Sindhu | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 111.11 |
| Jos Buttler (Wk) | 19 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 82.61 |
| Washington Sundar | 50* | 37 | 5 | 0 | 135.14 |
| Arshad Khan | 15 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 250.00 |
| Rahul Tewatia | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Jason Holder | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Rashid Khan | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 233.33 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 3* | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 5 | W4, LB1 | |||
| Total | 155/8 | 20 ov | 15 | 3 |
RCB Bowling in IPL 2026 Final: Rasikh Salam Dar Steals the Show
Rasikh Salam Dar was the undisputed bowling star of the IPL 2026 Final. The young pacer took 3 wickets for 27 runs in his 4 overs, regularly hitting the 140 kmph mark and swinging the ball both ways. He dismissed Sindhu, Tewatia, and Rashid Khan — three wickets at key moments that prevented GT from reaching a competitive total.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was equally disciplined, picking up 2 wickets for 29 in 4 overs. The experienced campaigner bowled a beautifully controlled spell, conceding only 7.25 an over. Hazlewood added 2 more, and Krunal Pandya cleaned up the dangerous Buttler. Jacob Duffy went wicketless but kept the run rate in check.
RCB Bowling — IPL 2026 Final
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasikh Salam Dar | 4 | 27 | 3 | 6.75 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 29 | 2 | 7.25 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 4 | 37 | 2 | 9.25 |
| Krunal Pandya | 4 | 23 | 1 | 5.75 |
| Jacob Duffy | 4 | 38 | 0 | 9.50 |
Fall of Wickets (GT): 22/1 (Gill, 2.2 ov) · 26/2 (Sudharsan, 3.4 ov) · 55/3 (Sindhu, 7.6 ov) · 73/4 (Buttler, 12.1 ov) · 99/5 (A. Khan, 14.1 ov) · 115/6 (Tewatia, 16.1 ov) · 142/7 (Holder, 18.3 ov) · 151/8 (R. Khan, 19.2 ov)
IPL 2026 Final Chase: Kohli and Iyer Light Up Ahmedabad
RCB needed 156. They had 20 overs. They had Virat Kohli. That combination, on the biggest night of the IPL 2026 season, was always going to be compelling.
Venkatesh Iyer set the tone from the first ball. The RCB impact opener took on Mohammed Siraj, his former teammate, without hesitation — smashing 32 off 16 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes. At a strike rate of 200, he was violent, calculated, and brilliant. The opening stand between Iyer and Kohli produced 62 runs in under 5 overs, and the IPL 2026 Final was already slipping away from GT.
Then came the collapse that has haunted RCB fans for years. Iyer gone for 32. Devdutt Padikkal out first ball for 1. Rajat Patidar caught at slip for 15. Krunal Pandya lbw for 1. Four wickets in four overs, and suddenly it was 91/4 in the 9th over. The ghost of past RCB implosions hovered over the Narendra Modi Stadium.
But Virat Kohli was not going anywhere.
He had started quietly — 29 off 11 in the opening stand — but after the wickets fell, he shifted gears in the most controlled way imaginable. He did not panic. He rotated strike, found singles, picked his moments to attack. Tim David walked in at 91/4 and immediately took the pressure off with 24 off 17, hitting 3 fours and a six. Their stand of 41 runs put the match firmly back in RCB hands.
When David was caught off Arshad Khan in the 14th over, the equation was: 29 needed off 36 balls. Kohli on 57. Jitesh Sharma, the wicketkeeper, came in — steady, sensible, scoring 11 off 14. Kohli took care of the rest.
In the 18th over, with RCB needing just a handful, Kohli hit the winning boundary. He raised his bat. The crowd roared. The RCB dressing room erupted in scenes that had been 17 years in the making.
“This moment is for every single RCB fan. We believed, even when it was hard to believe,” Kohli said in his post-match interview. “The boys were outstanding. We had a plan and we stuck to it.”
RCB Batting Scorecard — IPL 2026 Final
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venkatesh Iyer (IP) | 32 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 200.00 |
| Virat Kohli | 75* | 42 | 9 | 3 | 178.57 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Rajat Patidar (C) | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 115.38 |
| Krunal Pandya | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Tim David | 24 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 141.18 |
| Jitesh Sharma (Wk) | 11* | 14 | 1 | 0 | 78.57 |
| Extras | 2 | W1, LB1 | |||
| Total | 161/5 | 18 ov | 18 | 7 |
Fall of Wickets (RCB): 62/1 (Iyer, 4.3 ov) · 63/2 (Padikkal, 5.1 ov) · 89/3 (Patidar, 8.2 ov) · 91/4 (K. Pandya, 8.5 ov) · 132/5 (David, 13.6 ov)
GT Bowling in IPL 2026 Final: Rashid Khan Best, Rabada Costly
Rashid Khan was GT best bowler in the IPL 2026 Final by distance — 4 overs, 25 runs, 2 wickets at an economy of 6.25. He removed Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya to briefly bring GT back into the contest. But GT needed a fifth bowler, and that is where the wheels came off.
Kagiso Rabada was expensive beyond belief. Three overs for 44 runs at an economy of 14.67. On the biggest night of the IPL 2026 season, the South African pacer simply could not find his length. Those 44 runs were the difference between a contest and a coronation.
Mohammed Siraj was tidy enough — 4 overs, 36 runs, 1 wicket — but Iyer was too good for him in the powerplay. Arshad Khan, who had given GT some batting momentum, went at 8.00 in his bowling spell. Prasidh Krishna (impact player) bowled just one over and gave away 7.
GT Bowling — IPL 2026 Final
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 25 | 2 | 6.25 |
| Arshad Khan | 4 | 32 | 1 | 8.00 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 4 | 36 | 1 | 9.00 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 3 | 44 | 1 | 14.67 |
| Jason Holder | 2 | 16 | 0 | 8.00 |
| Prasidh Krishna (IP) | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7.00 |
Player of the Match: Virat Kohli — 75* (42)
There was never any doubt. Virat Kohli won Player of the Match in the IPL 2026 Final for his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls. Nine fours. Three sixes. Strike rate 178.57. An innings that combined patience with brutality, calm with intensity.
Kohli walked in when RCB needed someone to anchor and he did exactly that — before accelerating to deliver a masterclass in finishing. His knock in the IPL 2026 Final will be talked about for years.
Player of the Tournament: Vaibhav Suryavanshi (RR)
Despite his Rajasthan Royals side not making the final, teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi was named Player of the Tournament for IPL 2026. His explosiveness at the top of the order rewrote record books through the group stage and knockouts — a preview of what the next decade of Indian cricket could look like. For the full season stats, follow Vegas11 News IPL 2026 coverage.
IPL 2026 Final: 5 Key Moments That Decided the Match
1. RCB bowl first — and it works immediately. GT lose their top three inside 8 overs for 55. The powerplay decision by Rajat Patidar is vindicated instantly.
2. Rasikh Salam Dar’s three-wicket haul. The young pacer is the pick of RCB’s attack, dismissing Sindhu, Tewatia, and Rashid Khan. His 3/27 in 4 overs keeps GT to a below-par total.
3. Venkatesh Iyer’s 32 off 16 balls. The RCB impact opener sets a target rate from the first over. His 200 strike rate opening stand with Kohli makes the chase look easy before it briefly gets hard.
4. The 91/4 wobble. Four wickets for 29 runs in the middle overs. For a moment, old RCB were back. Kohli and David steadied the ship.
5. Kagiso Rabada’s expensive spell. 44 runs off 3 overs at 14.67 economy. In a match decided by 6 runs, Rabada’s powerlessness against Kohli and Iyer was the decisive passage of play.
What This IPL 2026 Title Means for RCB
For a franchise that has been to three finals without winning one, the IPL 2026 title is the culmination of a rebuilding era that began with new leadership, squad restructuring, and a renewed tactical identity. Rajat Patidar’s calm captaincy through the season, the emergence of Rasikh Salam Dar as a match-winner, and the consistency of Virat Kohli — now 37 years old and still the most feared batter in T20 cricket — all combined to create a squad that finally delivered.
Vegas11 News has followed RCB through every match of IPL 2026 — and this one felt different from the first day of the season.
For more IPL 2026 coverage including player ratings, season reviews, and awards breakdown, visit Vegas11 News.
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