Virat Kohli rolled back the years to propel Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the successful defence of their Indian Premier League (IPL) title as the champions thrashed Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.The majority of a near capacity crowd of over 100,000 rejoiced as Kohli raced to his quickest IPL half-century to steer RCB to victory with two overs to spare.The 37-year-old, who required treatment towards the end of his innings after appearing to suffer from cramp, ended the game with a straight six to finish 75 not out off 42 balls as the defending champions, who count American David Blitzer among their owners, prevailed by five wickets.A franchise who had waited 18 years to claim their first IPL have now become only the third team to win back-to-back titles since the competition began in 2008.

Finishing off in style 🥳

And it's none other than King Kohli 😎👑

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/Yz6K3q6w0X#TATAIPL | #Final | #TheFinalLeap | #RCBvGT pic.twitter.com/FZNGQ26gBs

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 31, 2026An outstanding bowling performance, spearheaded by Bhuvneashwar Kumar (2-29), Rasikh Salam (3-27) and Krunal Pandya (1-23), had limited the Titans to 155-8 off their 20 overs. They struggled from the early loss of captain Shubman Gill and fellow opener Sai Sudharsan, with England’s Jos Buttler subdued and unable to make an impact at No 3.Washington Sundar’s unbeaten 50 off 37 balls at least ensured their total was competitive, only for Venkatesh Iyer (32 off 16) and Kohli to sprint out of the blocks with a blistering opening partnership of 62 in 4.3 overs.South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, having endured a punishing first two overs which went for 37, claimed the purple cap as the tournament’s leading wicket taker when he had Devdutt Padikkal caught at third man by Arshad Khan — his 29th wicket of this season’s competition.But it was actually his team-mate Rashid Khan, with two wickets in his first over, who offered the Titans a flicker of hope. Yet that was snuffed out by the majestic Kohli, who found a useful ally in Australian Tim David (24).