Virat Kohli, who led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to the second consecutive title by playing an unbeaten inning of 75 runs against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, said that the thought of scoring winning runs often came to his mind. Kohli made the team champion for the second consecutive time by hitting a brilliant six against Arshad Khan on the last ball of the 18th over. He played an unbeaten inning of 75 runs in 42 balls with the help of 9 fours and 3 sixes, for which he was chosen Player of the Match.
Kohli said at the awards ceremony, ‘This is the moment every player dreams of. I had imagined this moment many times, especially scoring the winning run. I was completely comfortable when I came out to bat. The combination of our team is such that it gives us the confidence to come out of any situation. He said that while chasing the target, he was clear about his role and plan.
Kohli said, ‘I knew what to do in the run-chase. The presence of young players inspires you to constantly improve your game and accept new challenges. On the fastest half-century (25 balls) of his IPL career, he said, ‘It gives you the aim to continuously improve. I didn’t have to make any major changes in my game, but I had to change my thinking. There was a need to score extra runs by putting pressure on the bowlers.
Kohli said that the first target of the team was to top the points table. He said, ‘Once we reached the top, it did not matter which team was in front of us. We respect all teams and do not believe in provoking anyone. We have experienced and mature professional players and this experience comes in handy in big matches.
He said, ‘On big occasions, big players have to come forward and fulfill the responsibility. I knew that while chasing the target, the opposition team would try to get me out early but I had full faith in my team. I was confident that our champion team could achieve the target with three-four overs remaining.
Praising RCB fans, Kohli said, ‘For us every match feels like a home match. We have 14 home matches, not just 7, because the fans are with us everywhere. Even at the home ground of Gujarat Titans, almost 90 percent of the spectators were in our support.
Earlier, Kohli told the broadcaster that the biggest strength of the current RCB team is that it has many match winners and they do not need to step forward alone and fulfill the responsibility every time. He said, ‘We had to wait for this moment for a very long time. Now we have such a group with whom, while taking the field, you feel that you do not have to step forward and take responsibility every time. There are players in the team who stand with you and can win the match for you.
Kohli scored 675 runs in 16 matches this season at an average of 56.25 and an excellent strike rate of 165.84 and played an important role in making the team champion. However, he gave credit for the victory to the entire team. Kohli said, ‘There are many match winners in our team, which is proof that the contribution is not limited to just one or two players.’
Praising RCB’s bowling attack, Kohli said, ‘We have world-class bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy and Krunal Pandya. Krunal has always been reliable, while rasikh Salam Dar has performed brilliantly this season. He said that the team’s batsmen also contributed when needed and this balance is the biggest strength of RCB.
Kohli said, ‘I feel very happy to be a part of this group. We have balance, depth and we are a strong team in every department. This is why our confidence on the field also appears to be of a different level.
Admitting that the pressure of the final this time was different compared to last year, Kohli said that the team had full confidence in its ability. He said, ‘I told some players that this time they are not feeling the same pressure as last year. We knew how much potential our group had. We remained on top of the points table and there was a reason for it. We had said only one thing that if we play our natural cricket and implement the plans properly then we will be the best team in the competition.
Kohli said that the team’s confidence came back after the close win against Mumbai Indians. He said, ‘After the break we suffered a defeat and had to play a very close match against Mumbai Indians. That week was challenging for us, because we wanted to be on top in the league stage. The team’s confidence returned after the win against Mumbai. After this we registered a big win against Kolkata Knight Riders, topped the table and then reached the finals.
