RCB’s victory was built on an impressive bowling performance
Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained their IPL crown after a dominant five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, with Virat Kohli once again proving decisive in a title-winning chase.
Kohli struck an unbeaten 75 from 25 balls as RCB comfortably chased down 156 with 12 deliveries remaining.
As a result, RCB secured their second IPL title and became only the third franchise in tournament history to successfully defend the trophy.
The former India captain produced his fastest IPL half-century and his 68th overall in the competition, underlining why he remains one of the league’s most influential players.
Kohli anchored the innings while also accelerating when required, sharing key partnerships with Venkatesh Iyer and Tim David to ensure RCB never lost control of the chase.
RCB’s victory was built on an impressive bowling performance after Gujarat Titans were inserted to bat first. Rasikh Salam led the attack with figures of 3-27, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood both claimed two wickets to keep constant pressure on the home side.
Gujarat’s much-vaunted top order failed to fire. Captain Shubman Gill was dismissed for 10, while Sai Sudharsan managed just 12 as the Titans slipped into trouble inside the opening four overs.
Jos Buttler, another major threat in the batting line-up, was stumped after scoring 19, leaving GT struggling to recover.
Washington Sundar attempted to drag Gujarat back into contention with an unbeaten 50 from 37 balls.
His resistance helped the Titans post 155-8 from their 20 overs, but the total never looked enough against an RCB side packed with experience and momentum.
Rashid Khan briefly reignited Gujarat’s hopes during the chase when he removed Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya in the ninth over.
However, Virat Kohli remained composed throughout the innings and punished anything loose, striking nine fours and three sixes in another memorable knock.
After the match, Kohli said: “Last year we knew what ability we had.
“We said one thing before the season, if we stick to our strengths, we are the best team in the competition.
“The composure of the guys shown through again tonight.”
“As soon as we topped the table, that gave us huge confidence ahead of the final.
“Just to have a group guys, where you do not have to step up everytime, that gives you a lot of strength. We have brilliant batting, brilliant bowling, we have brilliant balance and strength.”
The result cements RCB’s place among the IPL’s modern powerhouses.
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians were previously the only teams to defend the title successfully, but Bengaluru have now joined that exclusive group after another clinical campaign.
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