2026 · India
IPL 2026 news and season updates
Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained the IPL title by beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in Ahmedabad on 31 May. This dated season record follows the schedule releases, opening match, final playoff qualification and all four knockout results, then separates the first post-season trade from the completed 2026 campaign.
Completed 31 May 2026
What was the final IPL 2026 outcome?
RCB finished first in the 70-match league stage and defeated second-placed Gujarat Titans twice in the playoffs. A 92-run Qualifier 1 win sent RCB directly to the Final, where Virat Kohli's unbeaten 75 helped complete a five-wicket chase and a second consecutive title.
Rajasthan Royals claimed the fourth playoff place on the last league day, eliminated Sunrisers Hyderabad and then lost Qualifier 2 to Gujarat. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finished with the Orange Cap, while Gujarat fast bowler Kagiso Rabada secured the Purple Cap in the Final.
Confirmed announcements
IPL 2026 official update timeline
Pant and Kuldeep complete a post-season trade
The IPL announced Rishabh Pant's move from Lucknow Super Giants to Delhi Capitals and Kuldeep Yadav's move in the other direction. The trade belongs to the following roster cycle, not the completed 2026 season record.
Open the official record ↗RCB retain the IPL title in Ahmedabad
Royal Challengers Bengaluru restricted Gujarat Titans to 155/8 and reached 161/5 in 18 overs. Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 75 from 42 balls in the five-wicket Final win.
Open the official record ↗Gujarat Titans win Qualifier 2
Shubman Gill made 104 from 53 balls as Gujarat chased Rajasthan Royals' 214/6, reaching 219/3 in 18.4 overs to book the second Final place.
Open the official record ↗Rajasthan Royals win the Eliminator
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 97 from 29 balls drove Rajasthan to 243 before the Royals dismissed Sunrisers Hyderabad for 196 and advanced by 47 runs.
Open the official record ↗RCB reach a second consecutive Final
Rajat Patidar's unbeaten 93 from 33 balls led RCB to 254/5, the highest IPL playoff total at the time, before Gujarat were dismissed for 162 in a 92-run Qualifier 1 result.
Open the official record ↗Rajasthan Royals secure the fourth playoff place
Rajasthan beat Mumbai Indians by 30 runs in Match 69 to reach 16 points and confirm an Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Open the official record ↗Three cities receive the four playoff matches
The IPL assigned Qualifier 1 to Dharamshala, the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 to New Chandigarh, and the 31 May Final to Ahmedabad after changing the originally designated Final venue.
Open the official record ↗RCB win the opening match
The defending champions chased Sunrisers Hyderabad's 201/9 in 15.4 overs. Devdutt Padikkal made 61 from 26 balls and Virat Kohli finished unbeaten on 69 in the six-wicket win.
Open the official record ↗The remaining 50 league fixtures are released
The second schedule phase completed the 70-match league calendar from 13 April to 24 May across 12 venues, including Jaipur, Dharamshala, Raipur and New Chandigarh.
Open the official record ↗The first 20 fixtures establish the season launch
The initial schedule set a 28 March start, an RCB–SRH opener in Bengaluru and 20 matches across ten venues through 12 April while election dates were pending.
Open the official record ↗Four knockout results
How did RCB and Gujarat Titans reach the Final?
RCB and Gujarat finished first and second on net run rate after both earned 18 league points. RCB used the top-two advantage by winning Qualifier 1; Gujarat received a second chance and beat the Eliminator winner in Qualifier 2.
Sunrisers Hyderabad entered the Eliminator from third place but lost to fourth-placed Rajasthan. Gujarat then chased 215 against Rajasthan before losing the Final chase to RCB two days later.
A two-phase league calendar
Why was the IPL 2026 schedule announced in stages?
The first release covered 20 matches from 28 March to 12 April because Assembly election dates were still pending in three states. The 26 March release added the remaining 50 league fixtures and expanded the venue list for the second phase.
Playoff venues arrived in a separate 6 May announcement. Bengaluru had originally been designated for the Final, but the IPL reassigned it to Ahmedabad and used Dharamshala and New Chandigarh for the other knockout matches.
After the 31 May Final
Does later IPL news change the 2026 season record?
No. The 23 June Pant–Kuldeep trade is useful current franchise news, but it does not move Pant's Lucknow appearances or Kuldeep's Delhi appearances between the completed 2026 records. The season tables, squads and team statistics retain their match-date scope.
The same rule applies to later captaincy, coaching, retention and replacement announcements: they update the next roster cycle only when the official record identifies that new season boundary.
Page record
Sources and update date
Prepared by StumpScope Cricket Desk. Season information updated 17 August 2026.