Only two teams had won consecutive titles in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After defeating GT in the IPL 2026 Final match on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the third team in the tournament’s history to script this legendary feat. Across 18 seasons of IPL cricket, only two teams had successfully defended their title the following year prior to RCB’s victory in the final of the 2026 edition.
After the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, they are now just the third team to win two IPL titles in a row and the fourth team to win the title more than once.
RCB’s Dream Run
It took 18 years for RCB and Virat Kohli to hold thier first IPL trophy. A team that was always trolled for failing at the big stage silenced all their critics after lifting the trophy in the 2025 edition. Now, after winning back-to-back titles, RCB has told everyone that their first IPL title win was not a fluke at all.
Teams To Win Back-2-Back IPL Seasons
MI was the last team to win back-to-back editions. They defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets in the 2020 final after overcoming CSK by one run in the 2019 final. In 2010 and 2011, CSK prevailed, defeating MI by 22 runs in the first final and RCB by 58 runs in the second.
Under MS Dhoni’s leadership, the Chennai Super Kings became the first team to win back-to-back IPL titles in 2010 and 2011. Dhoni’s composure, Suresh Raina’s reliability, and a bowling attack that knew how to win close games were the cornerstones of the CSK team. They defeated RCB by 58 runs in the following season after defeating the Mumbai Indians (MI) by 22 runs in 2010.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) became the second team to win IPL titles in a row. With Rohit Sharma leading a team full of match-winners from every area, they won in 2019 and again in 2020. Many people consider the 2019 final to be among the best results in the tournament’s history. On a decent surface, MI batted first and scored a modest 149/8. CSK lost wickets frequently during the chase, and they needed two runs from Lasith Malinga on the last ball. Shardul Thakur was on strike, but the batter was trapped LBW, giving the Sri Lankan the upper hand.
However, that victory in 2020 occurred in the United Arab Emirates during the pandemic-affected season. Rohit Sharma played a captain’s knock of 68 runs in just 51 balls as they defeated DC by five wickets to win the championship.
