RCB's IPL victory: Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma get congratulotry wish from Manchester City
Ahmedabad, June 1
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's back-to-back IPL title wins have not only drawn tributes from across the cricketing world, but the wave of celebrations and congratulatory messages has also spilt over into the realm of other mega sports and franchises globally.
Following their 5-wicket win against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, the blue side of Manchester, in a post on Instagram, congratulated the Man of the Match of the IPL 2026 finals, Virat Kohli, whose unbeaten 75 off 42 balls sailed the RCB across the line for their back-to-back wins.
With the win, RCB became the 3rd team in IPL history to win back-to-back trophies.
"Congratulations on back-to-back IPL titles, @virat.kohli & @royalchallengers.bengaluru," Manchester City wrote in their post, along with a photo of Kohli and Anushka Sharma holding the Manchester City home jersey.
Kholi was seen holding the jersey with his iconic number "18" printed on the back.
Coming to the IPL 2026 final match, put to bat first by RCB, GT scored just 155/8 in 20 overs, with Washington Sundar (50* in 37 balls, with five fours) and Nishant Sindhu (20 in 18 balls, with three fours) being the only ones to cross the 20-run mark. Rasikh Dar Salam (3/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) took wickets regularly.
RCB started off well with a 62-run stand between Venkatesh Iyer (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Virat Kohli.GT showed some fight, reducing RCB to 132/5 at one point, but Virat (75* in 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) guided RCB to a win with two overs left. This is RCB's second IPL title win and overall their fourth Indian franchise cricket trophy, including two Women's Premier League (WPL) titles.
— ANI
Reader Comments
RCB finally getting the recognition they deserve! Two titles in a row is no joke. And Anushka and Virat together are basically Indian cricket's power couple. Man City jersey with Chiku's 18 is going to be a collector's item now 😄
I still remember years of heartbreak as an RCB fan. Now we're back-to-back champs? Feels like a dream. Washington Sundar's 50* was the unsung hero moment. And yes, City connection is cool but let's not ignore how good our bowling has become under a new captaincy setup.
The way Virat paced that innings was a masterclass. 75 off 42 in a final? Pure class. Also anushka supporting him from stands, the bond is goals. But can we also talk about how GT only managed 155? Our bowling attack - Hazlewood, Bhuvi, Rasikh - they've been brilliant this season.
As an RCB fan from Australia, this is incredible. The franchise has truly built a winning culture after years of being nearly-men. And Kohli showing why he's the GOAT chaser. Manchester City's shoutout is a nice cross-sport gesture, though I'm still waiting for my local team to acknowledge it 😅
Back-to-back titles is a massive achievement. But can we please stop putting so much pressure on Virat? He's 37 now, playing every game, anchoring chases - it's amazing but the management should think about the future too. That said, today was vintage Kohli and Anushka's smile said it all 🏆