Who Won IPL 2026? RCB Retain the Title in a Final Against Gujarat Titans

The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League, the 19th season, ran from 28 March to 31 May 2026 with 10 teams and 74 matches. The question every fan asked before the season was who will win IPL 2026, and the answer was the defending champions: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

RCB beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 31 May 2026. It was their second title in a row, after their first ever IPL trophy in 2025, and made them only the third franchise to win back-to-back titles after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

IPL 2026 Final: RCB vs GT

Gujarat Titans batted first and were held to 155/8. Washington Sundar made a fighting 50 not out, and Rasikh Salam Dar took 3/27 for RCB.

RCB chased it down in 18 overs, finishing on 161/5. Virat Kohli was the Player of the Match for his 75 not out off 42 balls, the same Kohli who had opened the season with 69 not out in RCB's win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on 28 March.

How the playoffs played out

RCB, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad all finished the league stage on 18 points, with RCB on top on net run rate. Rajasthan Royals took the fourth spot with 16 points.

• Qualifier 1 (Dharamshala, 26 May): RCB 254/5 beat GT by 92 runs. Rajat Patidar's 93 not out off 33 balls powered the highest total ever made in an IPL playoff match.
• Eliminator (Mullanpur, 27 May): RR 243/8 beat SRH by 47 runs, with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hitting 97 off 29 balls with 12 sixes.
• Qualifier 2 (Mullanpur, 29 May): GT chased 215 to beat RR by 7 wickets, with captain Shubman Gill scoring a hundred.
• Final (Ahmedabad, 31 May): RCB beat GT by 5 wickets.

IPL 2026 award winners

• Champions: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (captain Rajat Patidar)
• Runners-up: Gujarat Titans (captain Shubman Gill)
• Orange Cap: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR), 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, the youngest Orange Cap winner ever
• Purple Cap: Kagiso Rabada (GT), 29 wickets
• Most Valuable Player and Emerging Player: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
• Fair Play Award: Punjab Kings

Why RCB won it again

The two teams most people tipped before the season were RCB, as defending champions with a settled squad, and Gujarat Titans, who have the best win record of any IPL franchise. Both reached the final, and both finished the league stage on 18 points.

RCB's edge was depth. Their batting could post huge totals, as 254/5 in Qualifier 1 showed, and Kohli was again the anchor, becoming the first player to score 600-plus runs in four straight IPL seasons. Their bowlers then defended and restricted when it mattered most, holding Gujarat to 155 in the final.

RCB also became the first team to win the IPL and the WPL in the same year, after RCB Women won WPL 2026 in February.

For the full list of champions, check our guide to IPL winners and where to watch IPL highlights, and keep following cricket prediction videos on CBTF MyTube for IPL 2027.

Related Post: IPL 2026 News and Updates