RCB Lifts IPL 2026 Trophy: Which Teams Have Won Back to Back IPL Titles? Full List with Years

The night of May 31st 2026 will now be marked in cricket history. At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by 5 wickets in the IPL 2026 final and lifted the trophy for the second year in a row. 

RCB won the toss and chose to bowl and GT was able to put up a score of 155 with a loss of 8 wickets. It was chased by RCB in just 18 overs. Virat Kohli took the spotlight as he scored 75 from 42 balls. 

This victory became even more special as RCB had waited 18 years for their first-ever IPL title and they won it in the 2025 season. But, one season later, they have defended it. 

There have been a total of 19 seasons of IPL and only a few teams have managed to win the titles back-to-back. RCB has just joined that rare list of names.

Which Teams Have Won Back-to-Back IPL Titles?

As of 2026, there are only 3 teams in the entire history of IPL who have managed to win the title in two consecutive seasons. Here is the list as per IPL: 

It's a very special accomplishment. In 19 IPL seasons, these three teams are the only ones to have successfully held onto their title thanks to their consistency, and strength.

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK): 2010 and 2011

CSK went to become the first team in IPL history to win two titles in a row. MS Dhoni was the captain for both the years. Under his leadership, and a mix of experienced players, CSK won the consecutive titles easily. 

• 2010: The final was played at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy where CSK won the toss against Mumbai Indians and chose to bat first. However, Mumbai Indians weren't successful in chasing the target of 168 runs and CSK took the trophy home with a margin of 22 runs. 

2. Mumbai Indians (MI): 2019 and 2020

Now second in the list is the famous Mumbai Indians owned by Reliance Industries. The team was able to win two titles consecutively under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.

• 2019: This was one of the closest IPL finals encounters ever. MI and CSK faced each other at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium where MI won the toss and chose to bat first and put up a target of 149 runs. However, CSK came dangerously close and they needed only two runs off the last ball but were defeated. 

• 2020: 2020 Season was conducted in UAE. MI claimed victory over Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): 2025 and 2026

RCB’s journey to lift the IPL title is quite emotional. Even after being one of the most popular franchises in the IPL, RCB were without a title, despite reaching the finals multiple times. In 2025 they finally ended that drought and lifted their first title and they continued with full strength to lift it again in 2026.

• 2025: RCB and PBKS faced each other in the finals at Narendra Modi Stadium where PBKS won the toss and chose to bowl first. RCB set a target of 190 and Punjab Kings weren’t able to reach it. That is how RCB lifted their first title with 6 runs. 

• 2026: This final was again played at Narendra Modi Stadium where RCB won the toss and decided to bowl against GT. RCB was able to chase Gujarat Titan’s target of 155 runs easily. The win is also majorly credited to Virat Kohli's brilliant unbeaten 75.

IPL Complete Winners List (2008 - 2026) 

Why is Winning Back-to-Back So Difficult in the IPL?

IPL is designed to be quite competitive. Every season the teams are rebuilt by auction, injuries occur, and teams change in form. T20 cricket, unlike Test cricket or even ODI cricket, is very unpredictable as in one over the result of the match can change.

This is exactly why only 3 out of 10 franchises have ever pulled this off. It requires not just a strong team on paper but also the right mix of leadership, form at the right time, and a little bit of luck.