Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the IPL 2026 final at Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31, becoming only the third franchise in 19 seasons to successfully defend the title. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, finished as the tournament’s top scorer and MVP, breaking records that had stood since Chris Gayle’s peak. Here’s every number that defined IPL 2026.
Quick Answer
Who won IPL 2026? Royal Challengers Bengaluru, beating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the May 31 final at Ahmedabad. Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 75 off 42 balls sealed the chase. Orange Cap: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) — 776 runs at SR 237.30. Purple Cap: Kagiso Rabada (GT) — 28 wickets. RCB join CSK and MI as the only franchises to lift back-to-back IPL titles.
हिन्दी: RCB ने IPL 2026 का खिताब जीता — GT को 5 विकेट से हराया। विराट कोहली नाबाद 75 रनों के साथ Man of the Match रहे।
IPL 2026 Final Scorecard — RCB vs GT, May 31, Ahmedabad
| Team | Score | Top Bat | Top Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gujarat Titans (bat) | 155/8 (20 ov) | Washington Sundar 50* (37) | — |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (chase) | 161/5 (18 ov) | Virat Kohli 75* (42) | Rashid Khan 2/25 |
GT chose to bat after winning the toss but were ambushed in the powerplay. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam dismantled the top order, reducing Gujarat to 59/3 in nine overs. Shubman Gill fell for 10 to Hazlewood, Sai Sudharsan top-edged a pull off Bhuvneshwar, and Nishant Sindhu miscued a charge. Washington Sundar’s 50 off 37 balls prevented a complete collapse, lifting GT to 155. RCB’s chase started with a statement: Venkatesh Iyer, in as Impact Player, blasted 32 off 16 balls and the first fifty came in just 3.3 overs — the fastest team fifty in a final in IPL history. Kohli then took complete charge, his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls studded with 9 fours and 3 sixes, sealing the title with 12 balls to spare. Rashid Khan (2/25) and Arshad Khan created a brief flutter at 91/4, but Kohli was unmovable. Man of the Match: Virat Kohli.
🏆 IPL 2026 — Season at a Glance
Champion: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2nd title, first back-to-back since MI 2019–20) · Runner-up: Gujarat Titans · 3rd/4th: Rajasthan Royals / Sunrisers Hyderabad · Total matches: 74 (70 league + 4 playoff) · Venue: Final — Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad · Final date: 31 May 2026
IPL 2026 Final League Stage Points Table
| Pos | Team | M | W | L | NRR | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 14 | 9 | 5 | +0.783 | 18 | Q1 → Final (Won) |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans | 14 | 9 | 5 | +0.695 | 18 | Q1 → Q2 → Final (Runner-up) |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 | 9 | 5 | +0.524 | 18 | Eliminator (Lost) |
| 4 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 8 | 6 | +0.189 | 16 | Eliminator (Won) → Q2 (Lost) |
| 5 | Punjab Kings | 14 | — | — | — | 15 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 7 | 7 | — | 14 | Eliminated |
| 7 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | — | — | — | — | Eliminated |
| 8–10 | CSK / MI / LSG | 14 | — | — | — | — | Eliminated (early) |
📊 What the 2026 Table Reveals
Three teams finished on 18 points and nine wins, separated only by net run rate — the tightest top-3 finish in IPL history. RCB’s NRR of +0.783 was the decisive gap; GT and SRH both qualified but on inferior margins. Rajasthan Royals scraped in on 16 points, making the Eliminator on the last day of the league stage. CSK, MI, and LSG — the three most-titled franchises combined — were all eliminated well before the final weekend, the first time that has happened since IPL 2022. The 2026 season also confirmed a pattern: every IPL title since 2018 has been won by the team that won Qualifier 1. RCB’s dominant 92-run win over GT in Q1 at Dharamsala — Patidar’s 93* off 33 balls powering a record playoff total of 254/3 — set the template for their final performance.
IPL 2026 Orange Cap — Top 10 Run Scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | M | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 🧢 | RR | 16 | 776 | 48.50 | 237.30 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Shubman Gill | GT | 16 | ~690 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 3 | Sai Sudharsan | GT | 16 | ~680 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | RCB | 16 | ~620 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 5 | Abhishek Sharma | SRH | 14 | ~590 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 6 | Heinrich Klaasen | SRH | 14 | ~560 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | KL Rahul | DC | 14 | ~540 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 8 | Mitchell Marsh | LSG | 14 | ~520 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 9 | Rajat Patidar | RCB | 16 | ~510 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 10 | Jos Buttler | GT | 16 | ~490 | — | — | 0 | — |
Note: Runs for ranks 2–10 are approximate pre-final figures based on available data from league and playoff stage trackers; Sooryavanshi’s final tally of 776 is confirmed from official post-season sources.
IPL 2026 Purple Cap — Top 10 Wicket-Takers
| Rank | Player | Team | M | Wkts | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kagiso Rabada 🧢 | GT | 16 | 28 | — |
| 2 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | RCB | 16 | 26 | — |
| 3 | Jofra Archer | RR | 15 | 25 | — |
| 4 | Noor Ahmad | CSK | 14 | ~22 | — |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | GT | 16 | ~21 | — |
| 6–10 | See full tracker → | — | — | — | — |
⚡ The Most Surprising Stat of IPL 2026
Rabada wins the Purple Cap with 28 wickets — but finishes on the losing side of the final. The last time a Purple Cap winner’s team reached the final but didn’t win was 2020, when Rabada himself took 30 wickets for Delhi Capitals who lost to MI. The South African fast bowler has now won two Purple Caps, been in four IPL playoffs, and is still waiting for a title. Meanwhile Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with 26 wickets for the champions, does get his ring — completing a remarkable late-career chapter after joining RCB ahead of the 2025 season.
Every IPL 2026 Record Worth Knowing
| Record | Details | Previous Record |
|---|---|---|
| Most sixes in a T20 tournament (ever) | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — 72 sixes, IPL 2026 | Chris Gayle — 59 sixes, IPL 2012 |
| Most powerplay runs in an IPL season | Sooryavanshi — 490 runs in first 6 overs | David Warner — 467, IPL 2016 |
| Youngest Orange Cap winner in IPL | Sooryavanshi, 15 years old | Sai Sudharsan, 23, IPL 2025 |
| Highest score by an Indian in IPL | KL Rahul (DC) — 152* (unbeaten) | Previous Indian highest was lower |
| Most matches by a player for one IPL franchise | Virat Kohli — 282 matches, all for RCB | Was his own record; extended this season |
| Most IPL runs career (updated 2026) | Virat Kohli — 9,261 runs from 282 matches | His own all-time record, extended |
| Third team to successfully defend IPL title | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2025 & 2026) | CSK (2010–11), MI (2019–20) |
| Fastest team fifty in an IPL final | RCB — 50 runs in 3.3 overs (May 31 final) | CSK — 50 runs in 4 overs |
| Highest team total in an IPL playoff | RCB — 254/3 vs GT, Qualifier 1 (May 26) | Previous playoff record |
| SR 300+ in IPL innings of 90+ runs | Sooryavanshi — 97 off 29 balls = SR 334.48 | Rajat Patidar — 93* off 33 = SR 281.81 |
| Most centuries in IPL 2026 season | 15 hundreds hit across the season | One of the highest-ever in a single season |
IPL 2026 Individual Awards — Full List
| Award | Winner | Team | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Cap (most runs) | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | 776 runs · Avg 48.50 · SR 237.30 |
| Purple Cap (most wickets) | Kagiso Rabada | Gujarat Titans | 28 wickets in 16 matches |
| Most Valuable Player | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | 436.5 MVP points — 63 fours, 72 sixes |
| Man of the Match (Final) | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 75* off 42 balls |
| Emerging Player | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | Youngest Orange Cap winner (15 yrs) |
📊 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — The Numbers Behind the Season
Sooryavanshi’s 2026 campaign is the most statistically unusual season in IPL batting history. His 776 runs came off just 327 balls — fewer balls faced than any previous Orange Cap winner. His strike rate of 237.30 is the highest among all IPL Orange Cap winners, beating Jos Buttler’s 149.6 from 2022. He struck 72 sixes to Gayle’s 59 in 2012, taking 266 balls to break a record set over 456. Four times this season he maintained a strike rate above 300 in an innings of 50 or more runs — a feat no batter had ever done more than twice. His 490 powerplay runs broke David Warner’s decade-old record of 467. None of this stopped RR’s campaign ending in Qualifier 2, which supplies the one caveat every fantasy captain should know: Sooryavanshi’s numbers peak in the powerplay and in pressure chases; in defensible situations on spin-heavy pitches, he’s not yet the finished article. At 15 years old, that’s not a criticism — it’s context.
RCB — Why They Won
Balance across every department. Kohli (620+ runs), Padikkal and Patidar contributed consistently in the top order while Bhuvneshwar (26 wkts) and Hazlewood gave a seam pairing nobody matched at the death. Their key number: won 7 of their last 8 matches. In the playoffs, Rasikh Salam proved the most reliable death bowler in the tournament. Captain Patidar’s unbeaten 93 off 33 in Qualifier 1 set the record total; Kohli’s final performance then closed it.
GT — Why They Fell Short
The most complete team all season until the final. Rabada (28 wkts), Rashid (21 wkts), Siraj as Impact Player, and a top order of Gill, Sudharsan, and Buttler was the most loaded bowling-and-batting combination in the tournament. Their problem: the knockout context. GT posted 155 in the final — 30 runs below their season average against RCB. The top four combined for just 61 runs. Washington Sundar’s fighting 50 papered over a structural crack that Bhuvi had already exposed in the powerplay. GT have now lost two finals in four seasons.
Records That Almost Got Broken in IPL 2026
Three records survived 2026 by the narrowest margins. Sooryavanshi needed just three more runs to surpass Chris Gayle’s fastest century (30 balls, 2013); his 97 off 29 in the Eliminator against SRH had a strike rate of 334.48 — the highest ever in an IPL innings above 90 — but he top-edged to third man on the 29th ball. Kohli’s own record of 973 runs in a season (IPL 2016) was never seriously threatened by any batter; Sooryavanshi’s 776 is the fifth-highest single-season total, but a significant 197 runs below. Gayle’s career record of 357 sixes is still 285 ahead of Sooryavanshi’s career total of 72 — but at his current pace, the teenager could challenge it within four to five IPL seasons, assuming retention.
IPL 2026 will be remembered as the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi season, which is ironic because his team didn’t win it. His 72-six haul, his 97 off 29 in the Eliminator, his 490 powerplay runs — these aren’t just IPL records, several are all-time T20 records. The world has never seen a 15-year-old bat like this in any format at any level. The RR fan in me thinks the tournament produced the most unfair result of the past decade: the best individual player didn’t collect the trophy.
RCB, though, deserve every credit. This wasn’t just a victory lap from a stacked side — they were rocked by a 55-run loss to SRH late in the league stage and still topped the table on NRR. Their back-to-back title is a coaching and captaincy achievement as much as a talent one. Rajat Patidar has become, quietly, one of the two or three best batting captains in the game right now. And Kohli at 37, posting 75* in a final with a strike rate of 178, remains the single most reliable run-scorer in the format’s history. GT will be back. SRH will be back. Sooryavanshi will be back. But the 2026 trophy belongs to Bengaluru, and it was earned.
IPL 2026 — FAQs
Who won IPL 2026?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won IPL 2026, beating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on May 31. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls to seal the chase of 156 and was named Man of the Match. RCB became only the third franchise to successfully defend an IPL title, after Chennai Super Kings (2010–11) and Mumbai Indians (2019–20).
Who was the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals won the IPL 2026 Orange Cap with 776 runs from 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.30. The 15-year-old became the youngest Orange Cap winner in IPL history, surpassing Sai Sudharsan (23 in 2025). He also struck a record 72 sixes in the season — the most by any batter in any T20 tournament ever.
Who was the Purple Cap winner in IPL 2026?
Kagiso Rabada of Gujarat Titans won the IPL 2026 Purple Cap with 28 wickets from 16 matches. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB, 26 wickets) and Jofra Archer (RR, 25 wickets) were his closest rivals. Rabada has now won the Purple Cap twice (2020 with DC, 2026 with GT) — placing him alongside Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel as multiple Purple Cap winners.
What was the highest team total in IPL 2026?
The highest team total in IPL 2026 playoffs was 254/3 by RCB against GT in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala on May 26 — the highest total in IPL playoff history. Rajat Patidar hit 93* off 33 balls, and the total also produced the highest-ever strike rate (334.48) in an IPL innings above 90 runs, set by Sooryavanshi in the Eliminator that same week.
What major records were set in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi broke Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a T20 tournament (72 vs 59), and set new marks for most powerplay runs in an IPL season (490) and the highest strike rate in an IPL innings of 90-plus (334.48 for his 97 off 29). Virat Kohli extended his own records with 282 IPL appearances and 9,261 career IPL runs, both all-time highs. KL Rahul’s unbeaten 152 became the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history. RCB became only the third franchise to defend the IPL title.
Bottom Line
IPL 2026 gave us a teenage phenom rewriting T20’s record books, a defending champion proving their 2025 title wasn’t a fluke, and three teams finishing the league stage on identical points. Check the IPL 2026 points table for the full final standings, follow Sooryavanshi’s Orange Cap journey and Rabada’s Purple Cap race in granular detail, and read Kohli’s IPL 2026 stats breakdown for what his 282-match record really means. For everything RCB have built across 19 seasons, see the RCB all-time records page.
