RCB Celebrates Back-to-Back IPL Titles: A Historic Achievement
RCB's Historic Victory in IPL 2026
New Delhi, June 1: The cricket community has come together to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) remarkable achievement of clinching their second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar remarked that RCB's challenge now lies not in proving their capability but in maintaining their success.
After enduring 17 years of ups and downs, RCB finally tasted victory again, becoming the third team to successfully defend their IPL title, following in the footsteps of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI). They triumphed over the Gujarat Titans by five wickets in a match held at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
On social media platform X, Sachin expressed his congratulations to RCB, stating, “Congratulations to @RCBTweets on winning consecutive @IPL titles. One of the challenges in sport is that success changes the questions you have to answer. After winning once, the task is no longer proving you can do it, but proving you can sustain it. RCB met that challenge impressively this season. A well-deserved achievement!”
Rajeev Shukla, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), praised the franchise and highlighted the exceptional performance of star batter Virat Kohli. He tweeted, “Congratulations to @RCBTweets and Rajat Patidar on winning IPL 2026 and becoming back-to-back champions. Virat Kohli once again showcased his immense class on the big stage. A thoroughly deserved triumph built on consistency, character, and outstanding teamwork throughout the season.”
Former RCB captain Faf Du Plessis also shared his excitement, stating he had predicted their success before the tournament began. He tweeted, “Wow. Called it before the IPL… back-to-back champions!!! Congratulations to @imVkohli, @rrjjt_01, Mo Bobat, Andy Flower, and the entire @RCBTweets team. From day one, this looked like the most complete team in the competition. Consistent, clinical, and deserving champions. Enjoy the celebrations, Bengaluru.”
Even RCB's rivals, CSK, acknowledged their achievement, welcoming them into the exclusive club of teams that have won consecutive IPL titles. They tweeted, “Winning back-to-back is always a special feeling. Congrats @RCBTweets and welcome to the club #IPL2026.”
Former RCB player AB de Villiers celebrated the victory with a playful tweet, “Ee Saala… 2x Naamdu #RCB.”
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan noted the significance of RCB's triumph after breaking their title drought last year, saying, “RCB RCB. Sher ko Khoon mooh lag Gaya hai. Champion.”
He also praised Virat's performance, where he scored an impressive 75* despite losing wickets at the other end, likening his adaptability to water changing shape in different containers.
Former CSK and India star Suresh Raina remarked, “Once was so nice, they did it twice. What a campaign by ‘Attacking Champions’ RCB. A near-perfect campaign and the trophy is in the right hands of Captain Rajat Patidar. Special mention to Virat Kohli for that knock – Matter bada tha, Isliye wahan King khada tha.”
Harbhajan Singh also congratulated RCB, stating, “Big Congratulations RCB. Back to Back. Winning it in style. Domination continues. Well deserved, Chase Master Kohli.”
Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop described RCB as a “well-constructed team,” congratulating them on their back-to-back IPL titles.
Shikhar Dhawan added, “Back-to-back IPL titles is a remarkable achievement. @rrjjt_01 should be proud to join the elite company of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as captains with consecutive titles.”
In the final match, RCB restricted GT to 155/8 in their 20 overs, with Washington Sundar scoring 50* and Nishant Sindhu contributing 20 runs. RCB's bowlers, including Rasikh Dar Salam and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, took crucial wickets.
RCB's innings began strongly with a 62-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli. Despite a brief fightback from GT, Virat's unbeaten 75 guided RCB to victory with two overs remaining.
This victory marks RCB's second IPL title and their fourth overall in Indian franchise cricket, including two Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles.