NEW DELHI: The emotions, cheers and roars echoed around the Narendra Modi Stadium when Rajat Patidar stepped up for the post-match presentation after Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their second consecutive IPL title with a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad.RCB, who won their maiden IPL crown in Ahmedabad in 2025, successfully defended the title a year later, becoming only the third franchise after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to achieve the feat. The victory also extended the streak of Qualifier 1 winners going on to lift the trophy to nine consecutive seasons. The triumph placed Patidar in elite company, making him only the third captain in IPL history to win back-to-back titles.MS Dhoni achieved the feat with Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, while Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to glory in 2019 and 2020.After the title-winning moment, Patidar took to social media and summed up the achievement in four words.“Ee Sala Cup Namdu”, Patidar wrote.Reflecting on the campaign, Patidar admitted that the pressure this season was very different from what the team experienced a year ago.“Last year was a lot of pressure, this year was more calm because the way we played throughout the tournament, we dominated this year,” said Patidar after the match.“So we were pretty much confident that if we are playing like this we are definitely going to win the second title for RCB.”Speaking about his captaincy style, Patidar said his calm demeanour should not be mistaken for a lack of awareness.“I am not expressive but at the same time I am aware of the game situation. Of course you need a backing, as I said there was a lot of backing by the management and the players as well.”
Patidar also reserved special praise for Virat Kohli, saying the former captain’s influence on and off the field continues to inspire the squad.Kohli anchored RCB’s chase of 156 against Gujarat Titans with an unbeaten 75, guiding the team home with two overs to spare in Ahmedabad.The star batter finished the season with 675 runs, including one century and five half-centuries.
What was the key factor in RCB’s success this season?
“If I speak about Virat Kohli, I don’t have words to explain him. He is used to doing great things,” Patidar told reporters.“He is a great player, everyone knows him – the way he bats. We all have an opportunity to learn from him on and off the field. We spend lot of time with him and try to learn whatever he says, regarding cricket or anything else,” the RCB captain said.
