Virat Kohli capped off RCB’s successful IPL 2026 title defence with a match-winning knock and emotional celebrations alongside Anushka Sharma after the final victory over Gujarat Titans.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defended their IPL title with a commanding victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday night.
The triumph carried extra significance for the Bengaluru franchise. It was at the same venue a year ago that RCB had finally ended their 17-year wait for a maiden IPL trophy. This time, they returned to Ahmedabad and secured a second consecutive title without much fuss.
Virat Kohli once again stood at the centre of the celebrations. The former RCB captain produced a match-winning unbeaten 75 off 42 deliveries and registered the fastest half-century of his IPL career. He fittingly sealed the chase by launching the winning six as RCB reached 161/5 in 18 overs while pursuing a target of 156.
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Anushka Sharma Joins RCB’s Victory Celebrations
Soon after the win, RCB shared a video capturing the jubilant scenes from the ground. Kohli was seen celebrating with wife Anushka Sharma as players and support staff soaked in the moment.
The video also featured mentor Dinesh Karthik and several members of the championship-winning squad. Kohli appeared relaxed and emotional as RCB completed a successful title defence, something only a handful of franchises have achieved in IPL history.
The celebrations quickly went viral across social media, with fans praising the bond between Kohli and Anushka, who has regularly supported RCB throughout their IPL journey.
Kohli Explains Why This Title Felt Different
Speaking after the final, Kohli admitted that the pressure surrounding IPL 2026 was very different from what the team experienced during their title-winning campaign a year earlier.
“I said to a few of the boys that it doesn’t feel like the same pressure as last year, we knew what kind of ability we have in the group,”
Kohli explained that RCB’s confidence came from their performances throughout the tournament.
“We topped the table, there’s a reason why we got here first and we just said one thing, ’if we stick to our cricket, if we execute our plans, we are the best team in the competition’ and there’s a reason why we’ve done well so far.”
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The veteran batter also highlighted the maturity and composure displayed by the squad throughout the campaign.
“In the group stage, we ended up topping the league stage and just the skill sets (that) we have, the maturity, the composure of the guys just shown through again tonight and it was a clinical performance brought throughout the tournament,”
Kohli’s words reflected the confidence that defined RCB’s season, as the franchise completed one of the most dominant title-winning campaigns in recent IPL history.
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