Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya (Image credit: RCB)
New Delhi: Star batsman Virat Kohli and all-rounder Krunal Pandya were seen dancing to the beats of dhol after Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched back-to-back IPL titles on Sunday. RCB defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the final to lift their second IPL trophy.Celebrations were in full swing after the historic victory. In a video shared by RCB on social media, Krunal is seen dancing with the trophy to the sound of the dhol. He was later joined by Kohli, who arrived in a T-shirt and shorts and joined the celebrations as the team basked in success.
RCB, who won their maiden Indian Premier League title in Ahmedabad in 2025, are now the third team after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to successfully defend their title.
They also extended the streak of first-place playoff winners who went on to lift the trophy to nine consecutive seasons.
- Teams that win consecutive IPL titles
- CSK – 2010 and 2011
- May – 2019 and 2020
- RCB – 2025 and 2026
- Multiple IPL title wins
- 5 – Mi
- 5 – CSK
- 3 – KKR
- 2 – RCB
Buoyed by Kohli’s fastest IPL half-century, RCB completed a clinical chase of 156 at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium to claim back-to-back titles.Kohli smashed a 25-ball fifty and remained unbeaten on 75 off 42 deliveries, an innings studded with nine fours and three sixes. It was also his highest score in an IPL playoff.
The veteran batsman continued his impressive streak as well – RCB have not lost a match since 2025 when Kohli scored a half-century.Kohli was awarded Player of the Match in the final.
- The oldest player wins the Player of the Year award in the final match of the Indian Premier League
- 38y 219d – Anil Kumble (RCB, 2009)
- 37y 207d – Virat Kohli (RCB, 2026)
- 37y 94d – Faf du Plessis (CSK, 2021)
- 36y 344d – Shane Watson (CSK, 2018)
“Well, it’s the stuff you dream about. I’ve thought about this moment many times, you know, when we win the Indian Premier League, I have to stand there and get the win and tonight that was possible. Yes, just a dream day for us,” Kohli said after the match.“And as I mentioned right after the game as well, we felt very comfortable coming into the game today and really confident in the way we wanted to play and the kind of team we have. That gives you confidence, you know, to see any kind of situation through. But yeah, in the chase, I felt really comfortable out there knowing exactly what to do,” he said.