&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026 | Will RCB be able to defend the title? The best shot is to win 8 more league stage matches")
The IPL 2026 has started with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets in season opener. RCB chased down 200+ total in record time to start their bid for the title defence - a feat achieved only twice in the IPL history since the inception of the tournament in 2008. While the fans would be hoping for RCB to repeat their title-winning performance from 2025, it might not be easy for the fact that it took them 18 years to win the first title and only two teams doing it so far in the history of the tournament.
Which teams have successfully defending IPL title?
The first stance of an IPL team defenfing its title came in 2011 when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won its second consecutive title, having won it first in 2009/10 season. The five-time champions had won both the trophies under the then captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who remains an integral part of the franchise since 2008 and an iconic figure in the Indian cricket history.
CSK had beaten Mumbai Indians (MI) in the final of 2010 for their first IPL title and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2011 to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
The second such stance is when Mumbai Indians won back-to-back titles under Rohit Sharma in 2019 and 2020/21 season. MI beat CSK in 2019 final by 1 run in a thrilling finish and beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets in 2020/21 season to repeat the feat.
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How can RCB defend their IPL title?
Looking at the history, CSK finished third on the points table after league stage with 7 wins in 14 matches in 2009/10 season to win the first of two titles. The Dhoni-led side improved to 9 wins in 14 matches in 2011, finished second on the points table after group stage before winning the second title on the trot.
As for MI, the Rohit-led side finished atop the points table in both season, 2019 and 2020/21 with 9 wins in 14 matches to win back-to-back titles.
It seems winning at least nine games in the league stage is the way to go for the teams to defend the title and RCB would be hoping for the same after showing off their capabilities in the first match of the tournament.
