Only three players have achieved this rare IPL three-peat – and two are from RCB

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their second Indian Premier League title on Sunday, defeating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The win created several records, including RCB becoming only the third franchise in IPL history to successfully defend their title after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.Amidst all the celebrations and milestones, one remarkable record has gone largely unnoticed. RCB’s Phil Salt and Suyash Sharma became part of an exclusive three-man club by completing a rare IPL title hat-trick. The duo won the IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and then added more trophies with RCB in 2025 and 2026.They joined Karn Sharma as the only players in IPL history to win three consecutive titles as players. Karn achieved this with victories with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, Mumbai Indians in 2017 and Chennai Super Kings in 2018, becoming the first cricketer to complete the IPL title hat-trick.Salt, who was bought by RCB for Rs 11.50 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, was a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders team that won the title in 2024 under Shreyas Iyer. However, KKR released him after the season. A fierce bidding war ensued between KKR and RCB at the IPL 2025 auction before Bengaluru secured the England wicketkeeper’s services.The 29-year-old now has three consecutive IPL titles to his credit. Salt appeared in six matches during IPL 2026 and scored 202 runs at a strike rate of 168.33.In 40 IPL matches, Salt has scored 1,258 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 174.48, including 12 half-centuries.Meanwhile, Suyash was acquired by RCB for Rs 2.60 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. The young leg-spinner enjoyed a decent IPL 2026 campaign, taking nine wickets in 12 matches while maintaining an economy rate of 9.21.Overall, Suyash took 27 wickets in 39 IPL matches at an average of 44.07.

Most IPL titles by a player

The list of players with the most IPL titles is dominated by some of the biggest names in the tournament. Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu lead the charts with six trophies each. Rohit won his first title with the Deccan Chargers in 2009 before becoming the cornerstone of the Mumbai Indians dynasty and helping the franchise win five more titles between 2013 and 2020. Rayudu meanwhile won three titles with the Mumbai Indians and another three with the Chennai Super Kings.The second spot is shared by a group of six players with five IPL titles – MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Aditya Tare and Krunal Pandya. All five of Dhoni’s titles came with Chennai Super Kings, while Bumrah and Pollard were integral members of Mumbai Indians’ winning teams.Hardik Pandya won four titles with Mumbai Indians before leading Gujarat Titans to glory in 2022.Krunal Pandya is the latest entrant to the five-title club after winning back-to-back IPL crowns with RCB in 2025 and 2026 to add to the three trophies he won with Mumbai Indians.Several other IPL stalwarts have four titles each, including Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Suresh Raina, Lasith Malinga and Ravindra Jadeja.However, when it comes to winning three consecutive IPL titles as a player, Salt, Suyash and Karn stand alone. The trio are the only cricketers in IPL history to achieve this rare feat.

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Most IPL titles by a player: All-time list

Player titles Teams and years won by Rohit Sharma6Deccan Chargers (2009); Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) Ambati Rayudu6Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017); Chennai Super Kings (2018, 2021, 2023) MS Dhoni5Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) Hardik Pandya5Mumbai Indians (2015, 2017, 202019); Gujarat Titans (2022)Jasprit Bumrah5Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020)Kieron Pollard5Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) Ad2Taaei, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) Krunal Pandya5 Mumbai Indians (2017, 2019, 2020); Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2025, 2026) Harbhajan Singh4Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017); Chennai Super Kings (2018) Karn Sharma4Sunrisers Hyderabad (2016); Mumbai Indians (2017); Chennai Super Kings (2018, 2021)Suresh Raina4Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021)Lasith Malinga4Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)Rajasthan Royal (2019)Rajasthan Royal Chennai Super Kings (2018, 2021, 2023)Phil Salt3Kolkata Knight Riders (2024); Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2025, 2026)Suyash Sharma3Kolkata Knight Riders (2024); Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2025, 2026)