RCB Clinch Second Straight IPL Crown In Ahmedabad

For years, Bengaluru fans carried jokes like old bruises. On Sunday night, Royal Challengers Bengaluru gave them a second straight IPL title.

RCB beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in Ahmedabad, chasing 156 with room to spare. Virat Kohli finished it with a six, unbeaten on 75 from 42 balls.

This was not just another final win. RCB have now joined Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as back-to-back IPL champions. For a franchise once defined by near misses, that is quite a shift.

Kohli turns chase into theatre

The chase started like Bengaluru wanted to end the argument early. Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer added 62 in only 27 balls.

Iyer played the early punch, hitting 32 from 16 balls. He struck 4 fours and 2 sixes before Mohammed Siraj removed him.

Kohli did the heavier work. He attacked Kagiso Rabada for 19 in one over and reached his fifty in 25 balls. It was his fastest half-century in an IPL final.

There was a small injury scare too. Kohli called for the physio after completing 2 runs and looked troubled by his right hamstring. He took treatment, drank fluids, and carried on.

That little passage said plenty. Finals often turn on skill, but they also test stubbornness. Kohli gave Bengaluru both.

RCB did wobble after the powerplay. Devdutt Padikkal fell for 1, Rajat Patidar made 15, and Krunal Pandya went for 1.

Rashid Khan dragged Gujarat back with 2 wickets in one over. He dismissed Patidar at long-on and trapped Krunal lbw.

For a few minutes, the match had that familiar IPL-final squeeze. The target looked small, but the pressure looked large.

Tim David eased it with 24 from 17 balls. Jitesh Sharma stayed unbeaten on 11, while Kohli kept finding the gaps.

In the 16th over, Gujarat thought they had Kohli. Shubman Gill claimed a low catch, but replays showed part of the ball touching the ground.

Kohli survived, and Gujarat never really recovered. He levelled the scores with a four, then ended the final with a six.

Gujarat lose their home rhythm

For Gujarat Titans, this was a painful night at home. They were playing in Gill’s territory, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, but never owned the occasion.

Gujarat made 155 for 8 after Bengaluru chose to bowl first. On a final night, that total looked at least 20 short.

Gill fell for 10 in the third over. Josh Hazlewood got extra bounce, and Patidar took the catch at mid-off.

Sai Sudharsan followed for 12. Bhuvneshwar Kumar used the short ball well, and Jitesh Sharma completed the catch.

Nishant Sindhu made 20, but Rasikh Salam removed him before he could build. At 55 for 3, Gujarat had already lost control.

Jos Buttler’s 19 also ended before it could become dangerous. Krunal Pandya had him stumped in the 13th over.

Washington Sundar gave Gujarat their only real calm. He stayed unbeaten on 50 from 37 balls and took the innings to 155.

That was a fine knock under pressure. But it also showed the deeper issue. Gujarat’s main batters had left too much for the lower order.

Arshad Khan struck 15 from 6 balls, including 2 sixes. Jason Holder made 7, Rashid Khan made 7, and Rahul Tewatia also made 7.

Those small bursts helped, but they did not change the match. In finals, rescue runs rarely beat top-order runs.

Bengaluru bowlers set the tone

RCB’s bowlers deserve more credit than scorecards may give them. They did not just take wickets. They denied Gujarat a clean rhythm.

Rasikh Salam was the standout with 3 for 27. He hit the pitch hard, varied his pace, and handled the death overs well.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 2 wickets and used the bouncer with sharp purpose. Hazlewood also took 2, including Gill’s early wicket.

Krunal chipped in with Buttler’s wicket. In a final, that was a big moment. Buttler can make 155 look like 190 if he bats deep.

The real story was Bengaluru’s planning. They attacked Gujarat’s strong top order with bounce and patience.

Gill, Sudharsan and Buttler all like control early. RCB kept asking them uncomfortable questions.

That matters in T20 cricket. A side does not always need magic balls. It needs enough good balls at the right batters.

Patidar’s captaincy also held up well. He chose to bowl first and trusted the surface would stay true.

He had said before the match that the pitch looked good. He did not expect it to change much.

That call proved right. Gujarat posted a fighting score, but not a winning one.

A dynasty begins in Bengaluru

RCB’s second straight title changes how we talk about this team. For years, they had glamour, stars, crowds, and heartbreak.

Now they have silverware in consecutive seasons. They beat Punjab Kings at the same Ahmedabad venue in 2025. One year later, they returned and beat Gujarat.

That consistency matters. The IPL does not hand out repeat titles easily. Squads change, form swings, and pressure follows champions everywhere.

Only Chennai and Mumbai had done this before. RCB now sit in that conversation, at least for this two-year stretch.

The season also had a young headline beyond the final. Vaibhav Suryavanshi won the Orange Cap with 776 runs in 16 matches.

Gill finished with 732 runs, while Sudharsan made 722. Gujarat had two of the season’s top three run-getters, yet lost the final.

That is cricket’s cruel maths. A long tournament rewards consistency, but one final punishes small mistakes.

Rabada also had a notable night. His wicket of Padikkal took him to 29 wickets for the season, the highest tally.

Still, the final belonged to Bengaluru’s old warrior. Kohli did not just score runs. He controlled the emotional temperature of the chase.

For ordinary fans, this is why sport hooks so deeply. One night can rewrite years of jokes, pain, and waiting.

RCB are no longer the team that almost wins. They are the team others will now chase. And for Bengaluru supporters waking up today, that sentence will still feel deliciously strange.