NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru completed a statement title defence by beating Gujarat Titans in the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, winning by five wickets and doing so in dominant fashion across departments. With the trophy secured, celebrations spilled across the country as supporters burst into fireworks and noise to mark another landmark moment for the franchise.
This victory also placed RCB in rare company. The Bengaluru side became just the third team in IPL history—after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians—to lift the championship in consecutive seasons.
While RCB’s title run delivered the headline, the individual spotlight belonged to Rajasthan Royals’ batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old enjoyed a sensational campaign and collected multiple honours following a season filled with record-breaking performances. Sooryavanshi finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 776 runs to claim the Orange Cap, and he also received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. His impact extended beyond runs, with awards for Emerging Player of the Season and Super Striker of the Season, the latter backed by a strike rate of 237.3. He capped his haul by winning the Super Sixes award after smashing 72 sixes during the tournament.
On the bowling front, Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada took home the Purple Cap. He ended the season as the leading wicket-taker with 29 dismissals. Another Gujarat bowler, Mohammed Siraj, was recognised for his discipline and ability to consistently choke the scoring rate, earning the Green Dot Ball award for bowling the most dot balls—172 in total.
Other awards reflected standout contributions across the tournament. Punjab Kings were presented with the Fairplay Award for their conduct throughout the competition. Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans finished as the leading boundary-hitter, collecting the Most Fours honour with 75 fours. Manish Pandey of RCB won the Catch of the Season award for a brilliant one-handed effort at backward point that dismissed Tim David during a league match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Venue and ground recognition also formed part of the awards. The Cricket Association of Bengal received the Pitch and Ground Award for hosting five or more matches, while the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association won in the category for venues that hosted four or fewer games.
The final awards list for IPL 2026 highlighted Sooryavanshi as a dominant name across batting and overall impact: Emerging Player Award, Super Striker of the Season, Super Sixes, Orange Cap, and Most Valuable Player (MVP) all went to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals). Mohammad Siraj (Gujarat Titans) earned the Green Dot Ball award with 172 dot balls, with the season’s environmental note of 3,268 trees planted attached to the award. Most Fours went to Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat Titans), Catch of the Season went to Manish Pandey (RCB vs KKR—Tim David’s dismissal), Fair Play went to Punjab Kings, and the Purple Cap was claimed by Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans). Pitch and Ground Award (5+ matches) went to the Cricket Association of Bengal, while Pitch and Ground Award (Less than 4 matches) went to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association.
For the Player of the Match in the final, Virat Kohli was recognised, while Gujarat Titans were the runners-up. Royal Challengers Bengaluru were the champions after lifting the trophy at the end of an unforgettable season.
