The wait of 18 years was finally over on June 3, as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru won its maiden Indian Premier League trophy since the inception of India’s cash-rich league. The only jewel that was missing from Virat Kohli’s massive and illustrious crown was also achieved with this title, which had eluded the champion player all this while. But this is no ordinary victory. It is a story of passion and perseverance of a man who devoted his everything to the franchise; a dedicated fan base that stood by their team through thick and thin; and some solid cricketing brilliance, both on and off the field. Here is my Blog on the historic win of RCB in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League.

The Auction Strategy Masterclass

I have said this many times: for having a good season, it’s very important to build a good team at the auction. And since it’s not necessary that you’ll end up getting every player you desire at the auction. Building a strong auction strategy and being articulate with your picks is crucial. That’s precisely what RCB (having a poor history in this area) did this time. If you haven’t watched their auction strategy videos, I recommend doing so.

During the 2-day mega auction, RCB hardly picked any players on the first day. This left many fans, including me, frustrated, but the management was firm with its plans and was waiting for their options to turn up. RCB was absolutely committed to go all out behind Phil Salt after it was found in their analysis that Salt is the MOST destructive opener in terms of utilising the powerplay, hitting boundaries every 3 deliveries. Similarly, the management was very clear that they needed Josh Hazlewood, who can choke batsmen with his solid hard-length deliveries.

While choosing Bhuvneshwar for his experience and skills, mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik had remarked, “He (Bhuvi) is the best T20 bowler in India after Bumrah”. Two other gems of buys at the auction were Krunal and Jitesh. While the former gave a solid balance and experience to the team, the latter was particularly DK’s choice, who guided his approach down the order. The finishing was further strengthened by the acquisition of Tim David. Many experts were calling RCB’s spin department its weakness, as apart from Krunal, they had gone for young Suyash Sharma, but the management was firm on the offie’s skills and backed him throughout.

Also, the RCB management did urge Virat to consider leading the side again, but he refused, and affirmed he would fully support whoever is appointed the next skipper. The management went with Rajat Patidar, the young batter who had also led Madhya Pradesh to the finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, showing some great skills as both batter and captain. Finally, after the RCB side was up at the end of the auction, the management clearly said this is exactly the team they wanted. Though many experts were sceptical of the side, I pointed out right then that RCB has nailed it this time.

RCB’s management deserves a special praise for the brilliant job they did off the field (Photo: RCB X)

Road to the Championship

RCB’s first game happened to be the season opener with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. Put into bat first, KKR was off to a flyer, looking poised for 200, but RCB’s spinners, Krunal and Suyash, ran through their middle order and stopped them at 174. RCB’s batters came with clear intentions and riding on Salt and Kohli’s quickfire fifties, chased down the target in 16 overs. RCB had made its intentions clear from the very first game

In the next game against Chennai at Chepauk, Patidar led RCB’s batting with a solid fifty in addition to some fireworks from Salt and David, posting 196. The total seemed too much for Chennai, which kept losing wickets regularly, and some late quickfire from Dhoni, who came at 9, was never going to help them. This was RCB’s first win at CSK’s fortress since 2008. And this also marked the beginning of a string of losses for Chennai at the venue, as their disastrous season ended with just 4 wins.

After defeating KKR and CSK at their homes, RCB was up against Mumbai at Wankhede. Riding on some solid knocks from Virat, Patidar, Paddikal and Jitesh, RCB posted a mammoth 221. The high-scoring game turned tricky when TIlak and Hardik led a brutal assault with their 89-run stand in 6 overs. It seemed the game was going out of RCB’s reach, but the team held its nerve and both Bhuvi and Hazlewood caught the two big fishes, followed by a 3-wicket last over from Krunal, eventually sealing the game with a nervy margin of 12 runs. This was RCB’s first win at Wankhede since 2015.

RCB didn’t failed to honour its two absolute Legends, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers after the title win (Photo: RCB X)

RCB Chinnaswamy Conundrum

However, the road was not always easy. While RCB was winning away games in style, the problem was brewing at the home ground of Chinnaswamy. It lost three successive games against Gujarat, Delhi and Punjab (rain-affected 15-over game) in a similar pattern. RCB was trying to be too aggressive from the start on a wicket which was not its usual self, and was a bit two-faced. In all three games, RCB lost early wickets in bunches, leading only to a below-par total, which was beyond difficult to defend on the wicket, which seemingly played better in the second half. So, after halfway through the tournament, RCB had 4 wins (all away) and 3 losses (all at home), and was suffering from a ‘Chinnaswamy conundrum’.

In the home game against Rajasthan (relatively weaker side), RCB had the best chance to break out of this home jinx. Riding on solid fifties from Virat and Paddikal, in addition to late fireworks by Jitesh and David, it posted a good enough 205. But RR too came out strongly behind the target. After Jaiswal’s quickfire 49, it was Jurel (47) who was riding the team home with just 18 needed off the last 2 overs. There came the masterclass of Hazlewood, who gave just 2 runs and got both Jurel and Archer, leaving RR choking for even that small amount of runs. Here, it would be unfair not to give credit to Jitesh, who was the brain behind the review for Jurel’s wicket, which was a caught behind of unusual fashion.

In the away game against Delhi, RCB restricted DC to 162, but found itself struggling at 26/3. There, the management played a gamble and decided to use the experience of Krunal, the batter. With Virat at the other end, Krunal unleashed the best out of him, displaying both caution and aggression and amassed a solid 73 unbeaten off 47, taking the team home safely.

Similarly, in the home game against CSK, when RCB, despite a good start, lost wickets and was staring at some 170-odd score, a new hero emerged in the name of Romario Shepherd, who carried out a storm with his monstrous knock of 53 off 14 balls, taking the team to 213. CSK, riding on Ayush Mhatre’s sublime knock, was coming right towards the target, but the RCB bowlers held their nerves as well as the lengths, leaving CSK 2 runs behind. And guess what, it was Yash Dayal again who bowled the brilliant last over against Dhoni, Jadeja and Dube.

Virat Kohli couldn’t control his tears as RCB won its maiden IPL title (Photo: RCB X) 

Resumption after Suspension

After the tensions with Pakistan led to IPL’s temporary suspension and the home game against KKR was washed out, RCB’s home game against SRH was moved to Lucknow due to inclement weather. Hazlewood was out due to injury, and recovering Patidar had to play as an impact player, so Jitesh was leading the side. The SRH batters, who, though, had a poor season, were in full swing that day as right from Abhishek, Head to Kishan (94 not out), came berserk against the RCB bowling, putting up a massive 231 on the board. It was always going to be difficult, but RCB came out strongly as Salt and Virat put up a blazing 80-run stand in 7 overs. But once these two fell, the SRH bowlers tightened their grip on the game. Though, game looked well poised at 173/4 in 15.2 overs, what followed was a massive collapse as RCB lost 7 wickets for just 16 runs, losing the game by 42 runs. This massive margin meant a strong hit to the NRR, further toughening the Top 2 chances.

In the past few years, RCB did qualify, but not finishing in the top 2 meant its run ended in the Eliminator or Qualifier 2. Also, in 2021, RCB was in red-hot form, but the tournament was suspended due to Covid, and when it resumed, the side had lost its form, leading to an Eliminator exit. Keeping all this in mind, winning the last league game against LSG was extremely crucial. With a similar side as the last game, LSG, led by Pant’s unbeaten 100, posted 227, again putting RCB in a tough spot. After a 61-run opening stand, the side lost wickets, and with Virat departing after a fifty at 123/4, hardly anyone gave RCB a chance. But this time, stand-in skipper Jitesh took charge and presented an absolute batting masterclass with his sublime hitting. Riding on his unbeaten knock of 85 off 33, RCB won the game with 8 balls to spare, in what was also the third-highest successful chase in IPL history.

Legend Virat Kohli finally had his hands at the coveted IPL trophy after a wait of 18 years (Photo: RCB X)

RCB into the Knockouts

RCB finished in the top 2 for the first time since 2016, and it was up against another strong side, Punjab, in Qualifier 1. But not for once did it feel that RCB was allowing any pressure on itself. RCB got on top of the Punjab batters straightaway, reducing them to 27-2. With Hazlewood (who returned to the side at the right time) knocking off Iyer and Inglis, and Suyash trapping them in their spin web, restricted Punjab to a meagre 101, a target which RCB chased down in mere 10 overs riding on Salt’s assault of 56 runs.

Finally, after 9 long years, RCB was in the finals of the Indian Premier League. Up against Punjab again (who defeated Mumbai in a solid chase) at Ahmedabad (where RCB hadn’t played any game this season), the task was going to be uphill. After being called out to bat, RCB’s start wasn’t good as it lost Salt (16) in the third over. Virat was trying to hold onto one end, but was not able to hit many boundaries. With support from other ends coming in pockets — Agarwal (24), Patidar (26), Livingstone (25) and Jitesh (24) — the team somehow managed a decent total. After Virat got out on 43 (35) and the batters couldn’t finish it up well (only 2 came off the last over), the match seemed slightly tilted towards Punjab, as 190 is not a safe total against a quality side in finals these days.

At first, luck too seemed to favour Punab with almost all edges going to boundaries and Shepherd dropping a sitter of Prabhsimran. Just when Punjab looked comfortable, Hazlewood struck, and Salt took a brilliant catch of Priyansh at the boundary. It was followed by Krunal getting the under-pressure Prabhsimran. The game’s turning point came when Punjab’s most dangerous batter, Iyer, ended up nicking against Shepherd, leaving his side 79/3. By this time, RCB bowlers had started tightening the screws by keeping the run rate under check. The pressure started building, and Krunal also hunted down good-looking Inglis. Bhuvneshwar, getting off both struggling Wadhera and dangerous Stoinis in the 17th over, effectively sealed the fate of the game. Shashank did hit a couple out of the park, but it all came when the game was beyond their reach.

Just when 29 runs were needed off 4 balls and it was clear RCB’s 18-year wait is gonna end, Virat Kohli failed to control his tears. As Shashank hit the last ball for six and Punjab lost by 6 runs, the whole team gathered around an emotional and teary-eyed Virat. The Modern Master, who gave his blood, sweat, tears, and everything to this side for all these years, but the title kept eluding him; a star player with almost every major tournament and laurel under his belt, finally had his hands on the much-coveted IPL title, and effectively COMPLETED white-ball cricket.

Rajat Patidar did the unthinkable right in his first tournament and marked the beginning of a new era in IPL history (Photo: RCB X)

A Historic Win to mark the New Era

Rajat Patidar, a young talent who had a great turnaround from remaining unsold in 2022 to being appointed RCB captain in 2025, did it for the most amazing bunch of fans, whose support for a ‘trophyless’ side only increased over these seasons. He was spot on with the use of bowlers and the field placements, and the result was for everyone to see. There are not many players who enter the folklore in their very first season as captain, but Patidar has created history, and as Virat said, he is gonna lead us for a very long time.

The hallmark of RCB’s win was that it was able to find a new hero every time it needed. Nine different Man of the Match awardees in the tournament is a testament to this. With a smart work at the auction table, followed by a fine job by the players, the captain and the management on the field, and the unwavering support of fans, RCB etched their name in history with one of the most famous sporting wins in the world. This also marked another big result in what has already been a year of Underdogs (PSG, Tottenham and Harry Kane with Bayern Munich).

Now, many might find it funny how just one win can hold so much value. But it’s not just that. Even Delhi, Punjab and now LSG also don’t have any titles, but they are not the sides that are trolled and ridiculed like RCB. Their fans are not made to feel humiliated for supporting a team without a trophy. Their support, passion and even celebration after epic comebacks are not questioned. They are not mocked with lines like “E Sala Cup Lollipop” or, as Virat said, “RCB yeh, RCB voh”. While a huge majority wanted RCB to win, there was a huge chunk which wished for its loss, not because they supported anyone else, but because they were jealous to see Virat and his billions of fans celebrating that trophy. But, as fate had it, we are the Champions. This is not a normal win; this is a victory of every underdog (and its fans) who refuses to accept defeat and commits itself to working for their aim. This is a win for the ages.

Now, once this long jinx has been broken, I would like to affirm (you first read it here) something. RCB, the most consistent IPL side since 2020 (5 playoffs and 10 in total, above par with any champion team), is going to win many more trophies in quick succession, effectively marking off a new era in the history of IPL and Indian cricket.

E Sala Cup Namdu!