“First time was so nice, we had to do it twice”...and just like that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted the Indian Premiere League trophy for the second time in a row, entering the ‘Big Boys Club’ of the tournament and marking its new era of dominance.
IPL 2025: RCB makes history for Virat, takes trolls to cleaners – Arunesh Blog
Smart Auction Work
RCB were the Defending Champions coming into the 2026 season, and they made sure to act like one at the auction table. Knowing they have a solid team, the management didn’t try to do any experiments, instead just went for adding a few options to their arsenal. Being aware of Josh Hazlewood’s injury and of Yash Dayal’s unavailability (due to sexual assault case), the team decided to plug the gaps by adding New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy (INR 1.5 crore) and young left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav (INR 5.5 crore). Another name, the RCB management went all out for was Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 7 crore), a player they tried very hard for even the last time.
After RCB won the IPL last year, what followed was a really unfortunate and totally avoidable tragedy – a stampede that killed 11 fans. Following this, there was high uncertainty about whether the Chinnaswamy stadium will even be allowed to host the IPL games. After much speculations, however, the stadium was allowed to host 5 of the 7 home games for RCB, with the remaining matches being played at Raipur.
Krunal, always exceptional with the ball, played instrumental role with bat too this season (Photo: X)
Strong Start
In their opening game against Hyderabad, RCB’s bowlers unleashed fire with Duffy, team’s newest addition, getting rid of dangerous Head, Abhishek, and Nitish reduced SRH at 29/3. The counter punch from stand-in captain Kishan and Aniket took them to 201/9 in 20 overs but wasn’t enough for the RCB batters who came guns blazing. Blinder knocks from Virat (69 off 38) and Paddikal (61 off 26) along with fiery cameo from skipper Patidar (31 off 12) chased down the target in just the 16th over, announcing their arrival in style.
In the next game, RCB was up against arch-rivals CSK. Despite runs not coming that smoothly initially, RCB was in a comfortable position. But, after that Tim David’s mammoth 70 off 25 and skipper Patidar’s berserk 48 off 19 just torn apart the CSK bowling and took the team to mammoth 250, which was never going to be chased by a team which hasn’t chased anything over 180 this decade.
In Wankhede, RCB batters again unleashed fire against Mumbai, a team they have dominated heavily in last few years. Salt’s assault (78 off 36) along with Patidar (53 off 20) and David (34 off 16) took the team to a huge total of 240/4. Mumbai from the start, never got the momentum it needed, and Rohit’s injury only made it worse. RCB bowlers kept picking wickets and even the late heroics from Rutherford couldn’t save MI from a crushing defeat at Wankhede.
Batting was always RCB’s forte but it’s the rise of its bowling that has defined its domination. Whether it was stopping LSG at 146, wrapping up DC at 75 or pulling things back against GT, who were off to flier, to restrict them at 205. Even the games RCB lost against DC and RR, they managed to take the game deep despite scoring below par totals. For a crazy trivia, RCB is the ONLY team to bowl out teams under 60 twice, under 75 thrice and under 95 eight times.
Bhuvi, who was sensational with the ball, played an instrumental role in marking RCB’s comeback (Photo: X)
Slump and Jump
After 8 games, RCB was in a comfortable position winning 6 and looking for qualifications. But, there came a mini slump in the campaign as it lost two consecutive games against Gujarat and Lucknow. While, against GT, the team suffered a collapse getting all out at 155 (only instance in the season); against LSG, they leaked runs more than what they should have and eventually fell short by 9 runs chasing 213 (DLS revised target).
With 4 losses after 10 games, RCB was no longer in that comfortable stature as 4 other teams also stood at a similar position. Middle order collapses and fifth/sixth bowlers leaking too many runs were emerging as glaring gaps. Salt’s injury and Bethell’s diminishing returns at top only comprehended the problem. The next game against Mumbai at Raipur was a must-win for RCB’s playoff chances.
Electing to bowl, RCB restricted Mumbai at 166 with Bhuvi scalping 4. The target looked easily chaseable, but after Virat got out for his successive duck followed by Padikkal and Patidar, the team had its head in a dock at 39/3. Krunal was promoted at 5 to steer the chase. He built small but effective partnerships with Bethell and Jitesh, while doing most of the heavy lifting himself. Despite suffering from strong cramps, he managed to tonk 5 sixes before getting out for a well-made 73. The game got another twist when David got out first ball and struggling Shepherd followed, with RCB still needing 10 off 3. Bhuvi, on strike, smashed his very first ball over cover point for an unbelievable six. With 2 needed off the last ball, Rasikh pushed the ball straight but young Bawa, bowling the last over, couldn’t stop it. Both batters ran their hearts out to complete the double and clinched a famous win for the folklores, and definitely the most important victory for RCB’s campaign.
The win against MI just proved to be the booster RCB needed, as they followed it up with a comprehensive chase against Kolkata, where Virat scored a ton and another comprehensive win against Punjab, where Venky’s 73 and Virat’s 58 guided RCB to 222. In the last league game against Hyderabad, RCB needed to ensure that it stays in the Top2, and preferably at the first position. After fireworks from SRH batter took them to huge 255, RCB started strong in the powerplay but after Venky and Virat got out, decided to play it safe. They needed to cross 166 for 2nd and 178 for 1st position. Despite a relaxed batting, RCB ended at 200/4.
Captain Rajat Patidar played some scintillating knocks leading RCB from the front (Photo: X)
History at Ahmedabad
RCB was against Gujarat, again, in the Qualifier 1 at Dharamshala. Virat and Venky came out hard in the powerplay, but the real mayhem started once Patidar came at the crease. The RCB skipper plundered sixes all over the park, taking on each and every bowler while executing some ridiculously good shots on his way to 93 off 33. Some small cameos from Krunal and Jitesh further propelled the team to 254, which was never going to be easy in playoffs. Duffy got Sudarshan, Bhuvi knocked Gill and Butler, who tried to mark some resurgence, was foxed by Hazlewood. Once the Big 3 were gone, it was all over and eventually GT were bundled at 162 handing RCB a huge 92 run win and a stylish entry in the finals.
Technically, the Defending Champions get to host the finals. Last year, the final was shifted from Kolkata to Ahmedabad after the tournament was halted due to India-Pakistan conflict. This year, while expectations were that Chinnaswamy will get to host the final, but eventually it was handed over again to…Ahmedabad (obvious reasons). Though, the Karnataka administration (led by Congress) was no less idiotic in demanding 15% tickets for its MLAs, this obsession with one particular stadium named after a politician is just irritating and unfair, to say the least. Out of nowhere, the final became a home game for GT handing them a totally undeserved advantage, especially considering the stellar record they hold there.
Virat Kohli played one of his most memorable knocks in the Final (Photo: RCB)
But, RCB took it upon as a challenge. Reaching Ahmedabad 4 days prior also helped in preparation. Electing to field, they decided to challenge the GT batters with hard length bouncers. Gujarat openers, who were coming after a stellar chase against Rajasthan, started well, but eventually RCB’s plans paid off. First Gill and then Sai, both got out on bouncers, and the game was practically over right then. Krunal foxed Buttler and despite Washington’s fifty, GT only managed 155/6 in the finals.
Very rarely have such totals been defended in IPL finals. And Virat and Venky came with a clear strategy, “Let’s kill the game in the powerplay”. Virat went on overdrive mode straightaway smashing Rabada and Siraj all over He was well supported by Venky who smashed 32 off 16 despite cramps. Rashid Khan tried bringing a mini twist in the tale scalping Patidar and Krunal, but RCB at 91/4 in 9 overs was in a comfortable position. Virat smashed his fastest ever fifty (off 25 balls) and steered the chase with cameos of David and Jitesh. With 5 needed off 14 balls, Virat smashed a four and a six to finish off in style and topped the moment with a cold celebration. RCB lifted its second trophy in a row entering the league of MI and CSK (in their peak, not now).
RCB created history with second successive IPL victory (Photo: X)
Phenomena called RCB
From waiting 18 years to get hands on their first trophy to now holding two in two, the RCB story is one for the cricketing folklore. As a fan who has supported the team since childhood; while enduring all the trolling, fighting the CSK-MI supporters in school/college, and recovering from one heartbreak after the other every year, with the hope of something better coming up next year; these are not just victories…these are lifeline. As a hardcore Virat Kohli fan who coped with the 2016 heartbreak and other close finishes in playoff this decade, nothing is happier than watching the man, who gave his blood, sweat and years to this team, smiling and celebrating with pride. this is our time RCB fans…let’s live it to the fullest.
T20WC 2026: India’s white-ball juggernaut conquers third successive trophy – Arunesh Blog
And this is not just a regular IPL win. Behind this, is a strong team management, resilient belief and a consistent team performance. The solid team built by the trio of Andy Flower-Mo Bobat-Dinesh Karthik at the 2025 IPL auction did half the job right there. Rajat Patidar is another story…coming as injury replacement to becoming team’s marque player and leading them to two titles (striving for third). Backing players, having multiple options for every slot, and ability to soak pressure in tough situations; everything it lacked before are now the traits of this new RCB. Considering how strong the team is, they are undoubtedly a strong contender going into the next season as well. As I said, this is the era of RCB…let’s live it to the fullest (haters can die).
E SALA NU CUP NAMDU
