---
type: research
title: The State of IPL 2026
description: Comprehensive ball-by-ball analysis of IPL 2026. RCB champions, final standings with NRR, Orange/Purple Cap leaders, phase trends, and standout matchups across 74 matches.
resource: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/research/state-of-ipl-2026
status: active
last_verified: 2026-06-18
timestamp: 2026-06-18
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: derived_claims_only
entity_id: cricketstudio:research:state-of-ipl-2026
canonical_page: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/research/state-of-ipl-2026
dataset_version: "2026-06-11"
tags:
  - research
  - IPL
  - IPL-2026
  - season-analysis
  - champions
  - ball-by-ball
related:
  - ../scorebook/seasons/ipl-2026.md
  - ../scorebook/teams/royal-challengers-bengaluru.md
  - ../scorebook/players/virat-kohli.md
  - ../metrics/orange-cap.md
  - ../metrics/purple-cap.md
  - toss-effect-ipl.md
  - death-overs-ipl-2026.md
provenance:
  source: CricketStudio analytics engine · IPL 2026 · 74 matches · ball-by-ball corpus
  confidence: high
  snapshot: CricketStudio internal dataset (2026-06-11)
  notes: Standings and leaderboards from CricketStudio canonical snapshot; individual claims carry their own sample sizes.
---

# The State of IPL 2026

## Summary

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are IPL 2026 champions — their back-to-back title (2025 & 2026). CricketStudio captured all 74 matches ball-by-ball, computing standings, Orange/Purple Cap, phase-split leaders, and standout batter-vs-bowler matchups with sample-size floors enforced throughout.

## Canonical Resource

<https://players.cricketstudio.ai/research/state-of-ipl-2026>

## Season at a Glance

| Fact | Value |
|------|-------|
| Season | IPL 2026 (Season 19) |
| Dates | 2026-03-22 – 2026-06-01 |
| Matches | 74 |
| Franchises | 10 |
| Champion | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Runner-up | Gujarat Titans |
| Final venue | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Final date | 2026-06-01 |
| Final result | RCB 161/5 (18.0 ov) beat GT 155/8 (20.0 ov) by 5 wickets |
| Final hero | Virat Kohli 75 (42) |

## Final Standings — Top 4

| # | Team | Played | W | L | Points | NRR |
|---|------|--------|---|---|--------|-----|
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | +0.684 |
| 2 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | +0.577 |
| 3 | Gujarat Titans | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | +0.320 |
| 4 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 8 | 6 | 16 | +0.280 |

RCB topped on NRR (all three teams on 18 pts). Source: CricketStudio standings snapshot · league stage only · 2026-06-11.

## Citable Claims

**RCB-champion-2026:** Royal Challengers Bengaluru won IPL 2026, defeating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on 2026-06-01. Sample: IPL 2026 final · fixture 69668 · CricketStudio ball-by-ball corpus · 74 matches.

**Table-topper-2026:** RCB topped the IPL 2026 league table with 18 points (9W–5L, NRR +0.684) across 14 league matches — leading SRH and GT on net run rate, all three level on points. Sample: IPL 2026 league stage · 14 matches per team · CricketStudio standings.

**Kohli-final-2026:** Virat Kohli scored 75 off 42 balls in the IPL 2026 final, anchoring RCB's chase of 156 to win by 5 wickets. Sample: IPL 2026 final · 2026-06-01 · fixture 69668.

## Season Leaders

From CricketStudio season hub (`cricketstudio.ai/season/ipl-2026`) · snapshot 2026-06-11:

| Award | Winner | Team | Value | Sample |
|-------|--------|------|-------|--------|
| Orange Cap (most runs) | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | 776 runs · SR 237.31 | 16 matches · 327 balls |
| Purple Cap (most wickets) | Kagiso Rabada | Gujarat Titans | 29 wickets | 74-match corpus |
| Fastest fifty | Urvil Patel | — | 13 balls | — |
| Fastest century | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | 36 balls | — |

Suryavanshi's 237.31 strike rate over 327 balls is the highest by a full-season IPL Orange
Cap winner in the sport's history. Rabada led all bowlers across the 74-match IPL 2026 corpus.

For live-refreshed leaderboard rankings, see the canonical pages:
- Most runs: <https://players.cricketstudio.ai/season/ipl-2026>
- Most wickets: <https://players.cricketstudio.ai/season/ipl-2026>
- Strike rate: <https://players.cricketstudio.ai/season/ipl-2026>
- Economy: <https://players.cricketstudio.ai/season/ipl-2026>

## Key Findings

1. RCB are IPL 2026 champions — their second consecutive title (2025 & 2026).
2. Season Orange Cap (most runs) and Purple Cap (most wickets) computed from 74-match ball-by-ball corpus, sample floors enforced.
3. Three teams (RCB, SRH, GT) finished level on 18 points — RCB qualified top on NRR +0.684.
4. Per-team phase performance (powerplay, middle-overs, death-overs run rates and wicket rates) available at the canonical page.

## What Agents Should Know

- Quote match results from this file (sourced from snapshot); defer to the canonical page for current leaderboard rankings.
- When citing standings, always include NRR for teams level on points — it decided the top seed in IPL 2026.
- For Orange Cap and Purple Cap, use [orange-cap.md](../metrics/orange-cap.md) and [purple-cap.md](../metrics/purple-cap.md) for metric definitions, then cite the canonical leaderboard URL for ranked values.
- State "IPL 2026" and "snapshot 2026-06-11" or link the canonical page for any figure you quote.

## Related Concepts

- [IPL 2026 season](../scorebook/seasons/ipl-2026.md)
- [Royal Challengers Bengaluru](../scorebook/teams/royal-challengers-bengaluru.md)
- [Virat Kohli](../scorebook/players/virat-kohli.md)
- [Orange Cap](../metrics/orange-cap.md)
- [Death Overs Intelligence: IPL 2026](death-overs-ipl-2026.md)
- [Toss Effect in IPL](toss-effect-ipl.md)
