Royal Challengers Bengaluru scripted a landmark chapter in IPL history with another title defence, while Virat Kohli powered a standout finish that underlined both individual brilliance and relentless franchise execution. From new records to rare team milestones, Sunday’s blockbuster carried multiple numbers worth remembering.
Key IPL milestones and record stats
- RCB became only the third franchise to defend an IPL title, joining Chennai Super Kings, who did it in 2011, and Mumbai Indians, who achieved the feat in 2020.
- With their latest triumph, RCB are now the fourth team to have won multiple IPL crowns, sitting behind Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings on five titles each, while Kolkata Knight Riders have three.
- Rajat Patidar created a record for captains by lifting the trophy in both of his opening two seasons while leading his side. He is also only the third skipper to win back-to-back titles, after MS Dhoni (2010 and 2011) and Rohit Sharma (2019 and 2020).
- Virat Kohli reached his half-century in the final after 25 deliveries against Gujarat Titans—his quickest IPL fifty. His previous fastest was a 26-ball fifty versus Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in 2018.
- Kohli’s 25-ball fifty also ranks as the joint-fourth-fastest by any batter in an IPL final.
- In the Player-of-the-Match award tally, Kohli has now taken 22 awards in the IPL—more than any Indian—overtaking Rohit Sharma’s total of 21. Only AB de Villiers (25) remains ahead of Kohli in the all-time list, while Chris Gayle has 22.
- Kohli’s Player-of-the-Match display on Sunday was his first in an IPL playoff (or knockout) match.
- Of Kohli’s unbeaten 75 on the day, 88.00% of his runs came from the leg side—the highest proportion for any of his 50-plus scores in IPL history. He managed only nine runs from the off side, and none of them arrived until he had reached 38.
- Only seven IPL innings of 50 runs or more have seen a greater share of runs come through the leg side than Kohli’s total.
- Kohli’s season in IPL 2026 has also delivered a bowling-batter matchup dominance: he scored 88 runs off Kagiso Rabada, the most by any batter against a single bowler in one IPL campaign. That figure surpassed Ishan Kishan’s 74 runs off Jofra Archer in 2026.
- Against Rabada this season, Kohli struck 18 boundaries from 37 balls—14 fours and four sixes.
- Krunal Pandya’s finals record stands out as well: he has a 5-0 win-loss record in IPL finals as a player. Only Rohit and Ambati Rayudu, with six wins each, have been part of more IPL final victories than Krunal.
- Josh Hazlewood has won all three IPL finals he has played, and he has also won all six T20 finals he has been involved in.
- Beyond Krunal and Hazlewood, just three other players have featured in three or more IPL finals and won every one of them: Rohit (6), Jasprit Bumrah (3), and Suryakumar Yadav (3).
- RCB used 16 players across the season—fewer than any other team in the IPL this year. Only CSK in 2015 (14 players), and MI in 2018 and 2020 (15 players each), have used a smaller pool in a single season.
- Since the Impact Player rule was introduced in 2023, no team has used fewer than 18 players in a season.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s wicket haul in IPL 2026 reached 28, which is the joint second-most by an Indian in a season. Harshal Patel’s 32 in 2021 is the highest, while Mohammed Shami took 28 in 2023.
- Rababada edged past Bhuvneshwar to win the purple cap for the second time with 29 wickets, joining a select group—Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel—who have also captured the purple cap twice.
- Kohli’s age on Sunday was 37 years and 207 days, making him the second-oldest Player of the Match in an IPL final. Anil Kumble remains the oldest at 38 years and 219 days, when he won the award in the 2009 final.
- Rasikh Salam’s bowling figures of 3 for 27 in the final were the second-best by an uncapped player in an IPL final, behind Karanveer Singh’s 4 for 54 against KKR in 2014.
