RCB vs GT Highlights: Kohli Leads RCB to Back-to-Back IPL Titles

Royal Challengers Bangalore are once again the IPL champions, and Virat Kohli has done it both times. RCB will face RCB in the GT 2026 IPL final at the TV Stadium in Ahmedabad with two overs remaining.

Gujarati Titans were bowled out for 155 runs in 20 overs for 8 in the final over and RCB chased down the target of 161 runs in 18 overs. After coming in at the police station, the man did not come close. After scoring 75 runs in 42 overs at a strike rate of 178.57, a team that was unbeaten in the series and never looked back.

RCB Win the Toss and Set the Blueprint

RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and decided to bowl first. The decision worked immediately as RCB bowlers made good use of the sticky pitch and restricted Gujarat Titans to just 155 runs. The plan was simple. Get GT’s top batsmen out early. That’s exactly what the bowlers did. Patidar later said that his aim was to get their top three batsmen out and the team followed suit.

Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Knock Over the GT Top Order

GT captain Shubman Gill, after scoring 10 runs in 8 balls with two fours, was caught by Patidar off Josh Hazlewood in the third over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then dismissed Sai Sudarshan an over later for 12 runs in 12 balls. GT’s two best batsmen were out for just 26 runs and suddenly the final looked difficult for Gujarat.

Nishant Sindhu tried to salvage the situation with 20 runs in 18 balls and three fours while Jos Buttler scored 19 runs in 23 balls, then Jitesh Sharma completed a sharp stumping off Krunal Pandya to leave GT at 73/4 after 12.1 overs. Arshad Khan got out swinging and scored 15 runs in just 6 balls with two sixes, but Hazlewood came back and quickly ended that little outburst.

Rahul Tewatia could only score 7 runs in 5 balls while Rashid Khan scored a quick 7 runs in 3 balls with a six.

Washington Sundar Fights Hard for Gujarat

While GT were in trouble, Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 50 off 37 balls with five fours to help GT cross the 150-run mark. This was the only real fight GT showed in the entire innings. Sundar batted like a man trying to hold onto a crumbling wall with his bare hands while everyone around him disappeared.

GT finishing at 155/8 in 20 overs was not enough against this RCB team on this surface. Rasik Salam was brilliant with 27/3 in four overs and kept attacking the right areas as the bowler knew GT was already panicking in the dressing room.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood both took two wickets each while Krunal Pandya broke Buttler’s partnership at exactly the right time, conceding just 23 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar also dismissed Jason Holder, who scored 7 runs in 5 balls, to equal Kagiso Rabada’s record of 28 wickets as the leading wicket-taker of the season.

Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer Start the Chase on Fire

Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer kicked off the chase by scoring half-centuries in just 3.3 overs. This was the fastest team half-century in an IPL final so far, breaking CSK’s old record of scoring half-centuries in four overs against the same team on the same ground.

RCB looked in complete control from the very first ball. Venkatesh Iyer scored 32 runs in just 16 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes, after which Mohammad Siraj was dismissed. Rabada then dismissed Devdutt Padikkal for one run while Rashid Khan dismissed Rajat Patidar for 15 runs in 13 balls and Krunal Pandya for 1 run in 2 balls to pull GT back for a few minutes. For a while, Gujarat could see a small start to the match again.

Source: The Indian Express

Kohli Hits His Fastest IPL Fifty in a Final

Kohli did not slow down. He scored his fastest IPL fifty and his best score in any playoff match to guide RCB to a five-wicket win with two overs to spare. Kohli reached his fifty in just 25 balls and every boundary seemed to close the door for Gujarat Titans again.

Tim David then scored 24 runs off 17 balls with three fours and a six to put on a 41-run partnership with Kohli, but Arshad Khan had him caught by Buttler. It made no difference. The target was almost achieved. Jitesh Sharma kept his cool, scoring 11 runs off 14 balls while Kohli remained unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls and RCB won the title for the second consecutive year by scoring 161/5 in 18 overs. He was declared the Player of the Match.

RCB Become Only the Third Team to Defend the IPL Title

It took RCB 18 years to win their first IPL title. They became only the third team in IPL history to win three consecutive finals. Gujarat Titans reached three finals in just five years and fought hard throughout the season.

But RCB were better at night. Patidar said that last year there was a lot of pressure but this year the team was feeling confident from the start. The bowlers controlled the first half and Kohli ended the second half. Now RCB have a formula and it has been working for two consecutive years.

Read More: How RCB Became IPL’s Most Loved Team Without Winning a Trophy