Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) completed yet another title double as they won back-to-back IPL crowns, with Phil Salt and Suyash Sharma playing starring roles in a rare run of consecutive championship-winning squads. Salt and Sharma were part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning group in 2024, before RCB went on to lift trophies again in 2025 and 2026. In the IPL 2026 final at Ahmedabad on Sunday, RCB sealed the season’s biggest prize by beating Gujarat Titans (GT), propelled by Virat Kohli’s sensational 75* off 42 balls.
RCB’s back-to-back triumph and the final result
RCB chased down a competitive total of 156, doing so with calm control as the match swung toward them in the later stages. The win took RCB into an exclusive bracket of franchises that have managed to win consecutive IPL titles, joining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) as the other teams to have achieved the feat.
Phil Salt and Suyash Sharma’s IPL 2026 impact
Salt’s influence in IPL 2026 stood out across both departments, while Sharma contributed as a strike bowler throughout the campaign.
- Phil Salt opened the batting and handled wicketkeeping duties for RCB during IPL 2026, scoring 202 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 168.33.
- In total across his 40-match IPL career, Salt has amassed 1,258 runs, striking at 174.48, including 12 half-centuries.
- Suyash Sharma managed a productive IPL 2026 spell, taking 9 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 9.21.
- Over 39 IPL matches in his career, Sharma has 27 wickets, with an average of 44.07.
How the IPL 2026 final unfolded in Ahmedabad
RCB won the toss and GT were sent in first, but the Titans struggled to build momentum. GT finished on 155/8 in their 20 overs, with only Washington Sundar and Nishant Sindhu reaching more than 20 runs.
- Washington Sundar made 50* off 37 balls, including five fours.
- Nishant Sindhu contributed 20 off 18 balls, with three fours.
- RCB’s bowling attack kept applying pressure: Rasikh Dar Salam (3/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29), and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) picked up wickets regularly.
RCB’s chase: early momentum, a twist, then the finishing burst
RCB began positively, assembling a 62-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli. Iyer struck 32 off 16 balls, featuring four boundaries and two sixes, before GT managed to claw back into the contest.
- RCB reached 132/5 at one stage after GT’s comeback.
- Kohli then took charge, steering the chase with 75* from 42 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes.
- RCB completed the chase with two overs remaining, confirming the championship-winning finish.
