![Virat Kohli scored fifty in the IPL 2026 final [Source: IPL, X]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1780250668423_ViratKohliIPLFinal.jpg?type=hq)
Virat Kohli scored fifty in the IPL 2026 final [Source: IPL, X]
Virat Kohli was in the zone in the all-important final of IPL 2026, as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru looked to defend their title against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
After putting GT to bat first, the RCB bowlers did their job well in restricting the Titans to 155/8 on their home turf. In response, Virat Kohli stepped up and racked up his fastest ever IPL fifty, taking 25-balls to put his team in a strong position.
With the match-defining fifty, he responded to the naysayers in style, and Twitter couldn’t help but heap praises on Kohli.
Kohli shuts critics with a clutch fifty in IPL 2026 final
Ahead of the IPL 2026 playoffs, it was widely known that Kohli had not had the best of times while batting in the IPL playoffs. Before Qualifier 1, he had only 396 runs in 17 innings at an average of 26.50 and a strike rate of 121.10.
However, this time around, he gave RCB a good start with 43 off 25 in Qualifier 1, leaving a positive mark. The defending champions went on to post a whopping 254-run total and won by 92 runs. Now, with the fastest IPL fifty of his career, he has put his team on the brink of the second title in consecutive years.
Contrary to last season, Kohli also got to score the winning runs on the night, and he finished at an unbeaten 75 off 42 with 9 fours and 3 sixes in the innings.
Also Read: Watch- Anushka Sharma Worried As Rashid Khan Threatens Virat Kohli
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the classic knock
Kohli ends another season on a high
Backing up the good work done in IPL 2025, where he scored 657 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 133.71, Kohli once again left everyone awestruck with his approach in IPL 2026.
With Phil Salt missing a big part of the season, there was uncertainty around the second opener, where Jacob Bethell struggled for runs, and Venkatesh Iyer chipped in with a couple of quality knocks at the end of the season.
However, in Salt’s absence, Kohli upped the ante and surpassed his last season’s tally — this time striking at over 165. For the first time in his career, his IPL strike rate has gone past 160, beating his previous best of 154.69 in 2024.
He finishes yet another season among the top run-getters, with only Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (776), Shubman Gill (732) and Sai Sudharsan (722) ahead of him. He also went past the 9000-run mark during the season.
RCB create history with successive titles
The IPL 2026 table toppers, who finished with 18 points in the league phase, convincingly ran through the Gujarat Titans in the playoffs and defended their title without any bumps in the road.
With the 5-wicket win in the final, RCB became only the third team in IPL history to successfully defend their title. Previously, only Chennai Super Kings (2010-11) and Mumbai Indians (2019-20) have managed to achieve this feat, making RCB's feat even more special.
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.jpg?type=mq "Virat Kohli Struggling...")
.jpg?type=mq "Anushka Sharma Worried")
