Kohli delivered a Player-of-the-Match performance in the final against GT.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) successfully defended their IPL crown by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final, with head coach Andy Flower singling out Virat Kohli as the "heartbeat" of the dressing room.
Kohli delivered a Player-of-the-Match performance in RCB’s five-wicket win over GT during the IPL 2026 title clash at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 31).
Chasing a target of 156 runs, the RCB stalwart remained unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls to take his team over the line with two overs to spare.
In a video shared by RCB on X, Flower praised Kohli not just for his incredible skill and chase master performances, but for his courage, commitment, and winning mentality. The coach noted that the veteran batter serves as an outstanding role model for the entire squad.
"Virat, I know you get a lot of attention and quite rightly. But I don't want to downplay that because you are a heartbeat in this dressing room. And the courage that you continually show to go out there and put yourself on the line and take on high-quality opposition is a bloody great role modelling for all of us," Flower said.
Flower also hailed RCB players' courage and character throughout the season, especially during the playoffs.
"When I think of our season, and I particularly think of the last couple of games in the playoffs, what really stands out for me is the bravery of you guys in the middle. There's been countless examples of it. But when you're playing at the top level, and that's Test cricket or World Cups or IPL, you need to be obviously highly skilful. You need to have cricket intelligence, but you really need to have heart. And we've seen that in abundance this year," the coach remarked.
RCB topped the league table and took a direct route to the final by defeating GT in Qualifier 1, followed by another clinical victory in the final.
As a result, RCB became only the third franchise in IPL history to successfully defend their crown, joining Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Rajat Patidar also made history as the first captain to win titles in each of his first two seasons.