Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challenger Bengaluru wrote history last night as they won their back-to-back 2nd Indian Premier League title in the 2026 finale against Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans. RCB clinched a dominating 5-wicket victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The RCB bowling unit, led by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, worked its magic very well in the 1st innings, getting GT all out for just 155. In response, star batter and former captain Virat Kohli led from the front, posting his fastest IPL half-century off 25 balls after he and Venkatesh Iyer stiched a 60+ run partnership for the 1st wicket.
Also Read: Where Rajat Patidar Stands Among IPL’s Most Successful Captains?
Despite losing the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya cheaply, RCB got to the victory with Virat Kohli scoring a four and a six to complete the victory. With that, Bengaluru joined the likes of Chennai and Mumbai to defend the IPL title successfully as reigning champions.
Moreover, Rajat Patidar joined the likes MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir to win multiple IPL titles.
How much prize money did RCB win?
According to media reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India prepared a total prize money purse of more than INR 46.5 crore for the 2026 IPL season. Rajat Patidar’s and co walked away with a massive cheque of 20 crores.
Despite falling well short in the finale, runners-up Gujarat received a handsome consolation prize. Shubman Gill’s men pocketed INR 12.5 crores for the impressive campaign they had.
The cash rewards were also distributed to the other two teams in the top 4. While Rajasthan Royals bagged 7 crores for technically finishing 3rd, the Sunrisers Hyderabad took home 6.5 crores.
How is the prize money distributed?
As per the rules and regulations set by the IPL, the cash prizes do not solely belong to the franchise owners. The earnings are actually split equally with 50% distributed directly to the playing squad with the remaining 50% going to the franchise management. Franchises that finish between 5th and 10th place do not receive any prize money.
