IPL 2026 | Will RCB be able to defend title? Here's what data says about consecutive trophy winners
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026 | Will RCB be able to defend title? Here's what data says about consecutive trophy winners")
RCB is looking to become third team in IPL history to win back-to-back titles Photograph: (BCCI)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2010 & 2011 and Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2019 & 2020 are the only two teams to win back-to-back IPL trophies in tournament history.
The IPL 2026 is in the playoff stage and the four teams remain in contention for a title. The teams which remain in the hunt for the title after 14 games each in the league stage are: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Gujarat Titans (GT), and Rajasthan Royals. All four teams have won at least one title each - in fact only one title each. With only the top teams remaining to play the playoffs stage, the race for Orange Cap and Purple Cap has also gotten thinner. The question is - How many times a team has won back-to-back titles and what does it take to do it? Let's look at the data from previous years and try to pick out a winner -
How can Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defend IPL title?
Only two teams in the history of IPL have won consecutive title - Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2010 & 2011 and Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2019 & 2020. During their back-to-back title wins, no players from either teams won Orange Cup or Purple Cap. As of now, GT's Said Sudharsan (638 runs) holds the Orange Cap for most runs and Purple Cap for most wicket is held jointly by RCB's Bhuvneshwar Kumar and GT's Kagiso Rabada with 24 wickets each - a slight disadvantage for RCB from historical set of eyes.
During RCB's maiden title win in 2025, however, GT's Sudharsan (759 runs) and Prasidh Krishna (25 wickets) had the Orange Cap ad Purple Cap, respectively. In the ongoing edition, GT again have Orange Cap leader as of now and also the joint Purple Cap leader as well - something which could work in favour of RCB? Only time will tell.
How many times a Purple Cap winner has won IPL?
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In the 18-year-long history of IPL, only three times a Purple Cap winner has won the IPL trophy as well and those players are:
Sohail Tanvir - Won Purple Cap with 22 wickets in 2008 and Rajasthan Royals won the title.
RP Singh - Won Purple Cap with 23 wickets in 2009 and Deccan Chargers won the title.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Won Purple Cap with 23 wickets in 2016 and SRH won the title.
With Bhuvi once again leading the list, jointly though, RCB do have a chance to win the title.
How many times an Orange Cap winner has won the IPL?
Batting surely gets all the attention in the IPL but winning Orange Cap for a team does not guarantee an IPL title. In fact, only two times in the history of the tournament a batter has won both - Orange Cap and IPL title - Robin Uthappa with 660 runs for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2014 and Ruturaj Gaikwad with 635 runs for CSK in 2021.
As for RCB, Sai Saudharsan was the Orange Cap winner and he is at the top in the ongoing edition as well - another plus for RCB's title hopes.
