Royal Champions Bengaluru: How veterans Kohli, Bhuvi, and Hazlewood defended the IPL title

While the league’s young prodigies grabbed headlines throughout the group stages, RCB’s trio of seasoned veterans ensured the trophy stayed in Bengaluru.

The Final: Experience Over Exuberance

Chasing a below par target of 156 to win on a tricky Ahmedabad surface, RCB found themselves needing a definitive anchor. They found it in Virat Kohli. Playing with the calm authority that has defined his career, Kohli constructed a flawless, unbeaten 75* off 42 balls.

While GT tried to squeeze the run rate with Rashid Khan, Kohli manipulated the fields, ran like a man possessed, and unleashed his trademark calculated risks to break the game open. His half-century wasn’t just about the runs; it was about managing the emotional temperature of a chase that could have easily panicked a younger batting lineup.

But Kohli’s masterpiece was only half the story. The platform was built earlier in the first innings by RCB’s twin engines of pace.

Josh Hazlewood was metronomic. Tasked with handling the high-flying GT powerplay, the Australian speedster finished with figures of 2/37, delivering a relentless test of line and length that choked the Titans’ early momentum.

At the other end, Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved why he remains one of the most intelligent operators in white-ball cricket. Mixing knuckleballs with pinpoint death yorkers, Bhuvi returned figures of 2/29, striking at crucial junctures and picking key wickets of Sai Sudharsan and Jason Holder to ensure Gujarat were kept to a par score. 

Together, the pace duo ensured that the defending champions were never chasing a runaway total.

It Wasn’t Finals Alone: How Kohli, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Controlled RCB’s Title Defense

The final was simply a microcosm of how these three veterans carried RCB through the 2026 campaign. When injuries and form slumps hit the team’s middle-order and domestic spin department mid-season, this trio absorbed the pressure.

Virat Kohli (The Stabilizer): Across the season, Kohli scored 675 runs and finished among the most impactful top-order batters. On tracks that heavily favored reckless power-hitting, Kohli provided a lesson in tactical accumulation, transitioning seamlessly from powerplay aggressor to spin-enforcer in the middle overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (The Golden Arm): Bhuvi put together a career-defining season, finishing with exactly 28 wickets—matching the upper tier of legendary single-season IPL bowling campaigns. 

More than the volume of wickets, it was his tactical versatility—bowling three overs up top and defending low totals at the death—that saved RCB on at least four separate occasions in the group stage, highlighted by his 3 Green Dot Ball match awards and a crucial Player of the Match performance.

Josh Hazlewood (The Enforcer): While Bhuvi hunted for swing, Hazlewood operated as the ultimate defensive shield. While he only picked 15 wickets in 13 games and his economy rate was a tad high for the liking at 9.59 runs per over , it was the timeliness of his wickets that made all the difference, be it his two wickets in the final or 4/12 vs Delhi Capitals in a must-win encounter in the league stage. 

IPL 2026 Core Veteran Performance Metrics

The table below outlines the exact regular season and playoff statistics for the veteran trio who formed the backbone of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successful title defense in IPL 2026.

Defending The Crown In Style

Winning an IPL title is difficult; defending it is notoriously rare. By securing back-to-back championships, RCB entered an elite club alongside Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. They did so on the back of three veterans, who are probably playing their last few seasons, proving that when the lights are brightest and a championship is on the line, there is no substitute for standard-setting veteran class. 

Kohli anchored, Bhuvi strangled, Hazlewood struck—and Bengaluru remains the capital of modern T20 cricket.