Record-breaking season in IPL 2026 (Image: X)
The 2026 Indian Premier League season will be remembered as one of the most explosive and record-setting editions in the tournament’s history. From Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defending their title to teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi rewriting the record books, IPL 2026 has provided unforgettable moments throughout its two-month journey.
RCB ends 17 years of wait and builds a dynasty
For many years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been synonymous with heartbreak. Despite boasting some of the biggest names in cricket, the franchise failed to win a single IPL title during its first 17 years of competition. This narrative changed dramatically in 2025 when RCB finally lifted their maiden Indian Premier League trophy. If this victory ended the curse, the 2026 victory proved their dominance.Under the captaincy of captain Rajat Patidar, RCB defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the final to become the third franchise in IPL history to win back-to-back titles after Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019, 2020).
Teams that will win consecutive IPL titles:
- Chennai Super Kings – 2010, 2011
- Mumbai Indians – 2019, 2020
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 2025, 2026
The title also elevated RCB into the elite group of franchises with multiple IPL championships.Most IPL Titles:
- Mumbai Indians – 5
- Chennai Super Kings – 5
- Kolkata Knight Riders – 3
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 2
Additionally, RCB became only the fourth team to win multiple ISL finals at the same venue, having lifted the 2025 and 2026 trophies in Ahmedabad.Winning two Indian Premier League finals at the same venue:
- Michigan – Calcutta (2013, 2015)
- Michigan – Hyderabad (2017, 2019)
- KKR – Chennai (2012, 2024)
- RCB – Ahmedabad (2025, 2026)
Virat Kohli delivers on the biggest stage
Virat Kohli has once again proven why he remains one of the greatest players in the history of the Indian Premier League.
The former RCB captain produced a match-winning performance in the final as he scored an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls and became the second-oldest player ever to win the Player of the Match award in an IPL final.The oldest players to have won the Player of the Year award in the final match of the Indian Premier League:
- Anil Kumble (RCB, 2009) – 38 years, 219 days
- Virat Kohli (RCB, 2026) – 37 years, 207 days
- Faf du Plessis (CSK, 2021) – 37 years, 94 days
- Shane Watson (CSK, 2018) – 36 years, 344 days
Qualifier 1 advantage continues
RCB’s title run also reinforced a long-standing IPL trend. Since the current playoff format was introduced in 2011, the winner of Qualifier 1 has won 13 of the 16 ISL finals.
Remarkably, every IPL champion since 2018 has made it to the first qualifiers.
Krunal Pandya joins the elite club of IPL winners
RCB all-rounder Krunal Pandya has added another remarkable achievement to his decorated IPL career. He became one of only six players to feature in five or more IPL-winning campaigns.Players with five or more final wins in the Indian Premier League:
- Rohit Sharma – 6
- Ambati Rayudu – 6
- MS Dhoni – 5
- Kieron Pollard – 5
- Hardik Pandya – 5
- Krunal Pandya – 5
Rabada’s purple patch makes history
Kagiso Rabada enjoyed an exciting season with the ball, finishing as a Purple Cap with 29 wickets.
In doing so, he became only the fourth player in the history of the Indian Premier League to win the Purple Cap more than once.Multiple Purple Hat Winners:
- Dwayne Bravo – 2013, 2015
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 2016, 2017
- Harshal Patel – 2021, 2024
- Kagiso Rabada – 2020, 2026
Vaibhav Suryavanshi season
If one player symbolizes IPL 2026, it is 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The teenager not only dominated the opposing bowlers but also claimed several individual titles.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s IPL 2026 Awards: Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker of the Season (Strike Average: 237.3), Super Sixes of the Season (72 sixes), Orange Cap (776 runs).Other IPL 2026 award winners
- Fair Play Award – Punjab Kings
- Catch of the Season – Manish Pandey (Amazing catch to dismiss Tim David)
- Most dot balls – Mohamed Siraj (172)
- Most Four – Sai Sudharsen (75)
IPL 2026: The most explosive edition ever?
Almost every major batting metric has reached unprecedented heights in IPL 2026.Championship records:
- Most runs in an IPL season – 27,450
- Highest number of runs per wicket – 31.26
- Highest Run Rate – 9.88
- Most of the four – 2,332
- Most of the six – 1,426
- Most odd hundreds – 15
- Over 200+ Total – 65
- Most successful 200+ chases – 17