'Said to a few boys, it doesn't feel like the same kind of pressure like last year'

Driven by a collective bowling effort and Virat Kohli's clinical unbeaten 75, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday. RCB have become the fourth team after CSK, MI and KKR to register multiple IPL title wins.

Here's how the players reacted:

Krunal Pandya: Every IPL is special. In 11 years to have five trophies is pretty special. Credit goes to the support staff – Mo Bobat, Andy Flower, Dinesh Karthik, Malolan Rangarajan. The way they prepared for the auction, the balance of the team. Half the battle is won at the auction. 18 years of waiting, and winning back to back is for the RCB fans. And for Virat as well, having two back to back trophies is amazing.

Virat Kohli: It doesn't feel like the same pressure as last year. We knew what ability we have in the group. We topped the table for a reason. If we stick to our cricket and execute our plans, we are the best team. We have so many Man of the Match awards spread throughout the group. We have world class bowling. Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar were brilliant. I feel so happy to play in a season where we have balance and strength.

Jitesh Sharma: We are not defending the trophy, we are attacking. Our mindset changed to dominate more. Credit to the management. DK anna handled me well when I wasn't performing. Good people are respected. Maybe next year we might win a third title.

Josh Hazlewood: This is right up there. More relaxed within the group this year. Got the monkey off the back last year. The group felt calm and composed. Someone stepped up when needed. Ten Man of the Matches shows amazing depth. To bowl with Bhuvi is pretty special. He took wickets up front nearly every game.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Trophy is the most important thing. I would trade the Purple Cap any day. The season went well for me. Credit goes to everyone. If Hazlewood didn't do well, I was there. If I didn't, Rasikh was there. We had each other's back. The franchise has been put together beautifully. Three-peat? I can't see why not.

Devdutt Padikkal: It's been incredible. When you have such quality around you, it makes you go up a level. The bowling unit has been unbelievable. The plans they execute to the T. Watching Kohli continue to improve, he's continuously evolving. He's hungry for more. After last season we spoke about going back-to-back. I'm glad we were able to do it.