KATHMANDU: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has become the champion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the second consecutive time. Bengaluru defended its title by defeating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in a thrilling final clash.

On Sunday, at the world’s largest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Invited to bat first, Gujarat’s start was far from memorable. Gujarat managed to score only 155 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. For Gujarat, Washington Sundar played a fighting, unbeaten half-century knock of 50 runs. The team came under pressure after captain Shubman Gill (12 runs) and Sai Sudharsan (10 runs) returned to the pavilion cheaply. Following them, Nishant Sindhu (20), Jos Buttler (19), Arshad Khan (15), and Rahul Tewatia (7) also failed to post a big score.

On the bowling side for Bengaluru, Rasikh Salam delivered an outstanding performance, taking a maximum of 3 wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood claimed 2 wickets each.

Chasing a winning target of 156 runs, Bengaluru comfortably reached 161 runs in just 18 overs while losing 5 wickets to achieve the target. Virat Kohli turned out to be the hero in making Bengaluru the champion, playing a crucial, unbeaten brilliant knock of 75 runs.

Suryavanshi secures orange cap

Suryavanshi is confirmed as the winner of this season’s Orange Cap after finishing as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 776 runs in 16 matches.

He was followed by Gujarat Titans batters Shubman Gill (732 runs) and Sai Sudharsan (722 runs). With both players being dismissed in the final, Suryavanshi’s position at the top remained secure.