Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defended their IPL crown with a composed five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final, powered by a masterful unbeaten 75 from Virat Kohli and a disciplined bowling performance.

After being asked to bat first, Gujarat Titans struggled to build momentum against a relentless RCB attack and were restricted to 155 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Titans lost both openers early as Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Sai Sudharsan and skipper Shubman Gill inside the first four overs. Nishant Sindhu briefly resisted with 20, but wickets fell at regular intervals as RCB tightened their grip on the contest.

Washington Sundar stood firm amid the collapse, producing a fighting unbeaten 50 off 37 deliveries that featured five boundaries. However, he received little support from the middle order. Rasikh Salam emerged as the pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of 3 for 27, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood claimed two wickets apiece. Krunal Pandya also chipped in with a crucial scalp as Gujarat finished below a par total.

In reply, RCB got off to a flying start through Venkatesh Iyer, who blasted 32 from just 16 balls. Although the defending champions lost a few quick wickets in the middle overs, Kohli anchored the chase with another vintage innings under pressure.

The veteran star struck nine fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, controlling the innings with a blend of aggression and composure. Rajat Patidar contributed 15, while Tim David added a valuable 24 before falling with the target in sight.

Kohli then guided RCB home alongside wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 11, as Bengaluru reached 161 for 5 in just 18 overs.

The victory secured back-to-back IPL titles for RCB and once again highlighted Kohli’s enduring class on the biggest stage.

Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans 155/8 in 20 overs (Washington Sundar 50; Rasikh Salam 3/27, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/29, Josh Hazlewood 2/37) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 161/5 in 18 overs (Virat Kohli 75, Venkatesh Iyer 32, Tim David 24; Rashid Khan 2/25) by five wickets.

The much-anticipated Player Draft for the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 is scheduled to take place on June 1 in Colombo, marking a significant milestone ahead of Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament.

A total of 421 cricketers including 179 Sri Lankan players and 242 overseas players will be available for selection during the draft process. The local player pool will consist of national representatives, domestic performers, and emerging talents, offering franchises a wide range of options as they finalize their squads for the upcoming season.

The draft will be conducted across several player categories, namely Platinum, Gold, Classic, Emerging, and Associate Stars.

Among the Sri Lankan contingent, 17 players have been listed in the Platinum category, while 34 players fall under Gold, 80 under Classic, and 48 under Emerging.

The overseas player lineup includes 31 Platinum players, 64 Gold players, 99 Classic players, and 48 players in the Associate Stars category.

The official draft proceedings will commence at 1.30 p.m. and are expected to draw the participation of all franchise owners and team management representatives.

Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, will attend the event as the Chief Guest.

Several key cricket administrators and officials are also expected to be present, including Mr. Eran Wickramaratne, Chairman of the Cricket Transformation Committee (CTC), members of the Transformation Committee, Mr. Ashley De Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket, and Mr. Samantha Dodanwela, Tournament Director of the Lanka Premier League.

The LPL has continued to grow in stature since its inception, providing a competitive platform for local talent while attracting international stars to Sri Lanka’s premier T20 competition.

Questions have surfaced over the selection of Sri Lanka’s squads for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, after contradictory statements from the country’s former and newly-appointed cricket selection committees sparked fresh controversy.

The dispute centres on who was responsible for finalising the squads for the Test, One Day International and Twenty20 series in the Caribbean.

Newly-appointed selection committee chairman Kapila Wijegunawardene has reportedly maintained that the touring squads were chosen entirely by the previous panel headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe, insisting that the current committee had no involvement in the process.

Speaking to The Morning Sports, Wijegunawardene stated that his committee only officially assumed duties on May 22 and therefore could not have influenced the selections.
According to him, all squads for the West Indies tour had already been finalised before the new panel took office.

However, former chief selector Wickramasinghe has strongly challenged that account, claiming the new committee altered the squads initially prepared by his panel.

Wickramasinghe alleged that his committee had selected separate squads for each format of the tour, but said the incoming selectors later expanded the player groups and introduced several changes.

Among the disputed decisions, he claimed that the vice-captain originally chosen for the ODI side had subsequently been replaced.

The former selector also raised concerns over certain players included in the final squads, while alleging that external influence from player managers had once again entered Sri Lanka’s national selection process following the appointment of the new committee.