The 2026 Indian Premier League delivered one of the more one-sided title races of recent years, even if the final itself went down to the wire. Here is a full recap of how the season unfolded.
## Season at a Glance
The 19th edition of the IPL ran from March 28 to May 31, 2026, featuring 10 franchises across 74 matches. Royal Challengers Bengaluru topped the league stage with nine wins from 14 games, securing an automatic route to Qualifier 1.
## The Road to the Final
RCB’s campaign had its share of turbulence — losses to Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants dotted their group stage — but their nine wins were enough for top spot. Gujarat Titans, despite opening the season with back-to-back losses to Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, recovered strongly to reach the final via the second qualifying route.
## The Final: RCB Defend Their Crown
Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31, 2026, chasing down 156 with 18 overs used. The win made RCB the third franchise, after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, to win back-to-back IPL titles. Virat Kohli, unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls, was named player of the match in a performance fans will be discussing for years.
## Where the Individual Battles Landed
The team story was only half of it. Rajasthan Royals’ 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ran away with the [IPL Orange Cap race](/ipl-orange-cap-race-updates), while Gujarat’s Kagiso Rabada topped the [Purple Cap standings](/ipl-purple-cap-race-updates) with 29 wickets.
## Quick Season Stats
– **Matches:** 74 across 10 teams
– **Champions:** Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2nd consecutive title)
– **Runners-up:** Gujarat Titans
– **Final venue:** Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
– **Final Player of the Match:** Virat Kohli
For a breakdown of how league standings actually work, our explainer on the [IPL Points Table](/ipl-points-table-explained) walks through net run rate, tiebreakers and playoff qualification in plain English. And if this RCB-Gujarat final has you thinking about the tournament’s fiercest matchups historically, our list of the [Best IPL Rivalries of All Time](/best-ipl-rivalries-of-all-time) is worth a read.