Virat Kohli steered the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second-straight Indian Premier League title after the bowlers set things up in the final against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday, May 31. Kohli scored a masterful and unbeaten 75 from 42 balls to power RCB past a middling target of 156 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.ย
Kohli was emotional after the win after finishing the things for the RCB with a six off Arshad Khan. This was his second fifty in an IPL final after a half ton during the lost showdown against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. The former RCB skipper said it was his dream to hit the winning runs and take the RCB to the title in a final. “Well, itโs the stuff that you dream of. Iโve thought of this moment many times, that, you know, once when we win the IPL, I should be standing there hitting the winning runs, and tonight it was possible. So yeah, just a dream day for us,” Kohli said.
Kohli bags first POTM Award in IPL playoffs
Kohli has been to the IPL playoffs many times. He has played 19 matches in the IPL knockout since 2009, when his team ended runners-up to the Deccan Chargers. However, this was the first time in those 19 outings that he had been adjudged as the Player of the Match in a playoff game.
This was his 22nd overall POTM award, which is now the most by any Indian in IPL history. He was earlier tied with Rohit Sharma for 21 such honours and went past him with his match-winning outing in the IPL 2026 final. He is now tied with Chris Gayle for the second-most such honours, with only AB de Villiers ahead of him now.
Most Player of the Match Awards in IPL:
1 – AB de Villiers: 25
2 – Chris Gayle: 22
3 – Virat Kohli: 22
4 – Rohit Sharma: 21
5 – MS Dhoni: 18
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