Finally, 18!
Strap: Bold calls, big hearts, and a fairytale finish — RCB’s script turns golden in Season 18.
Blurb:
As for Kohli — the beating heart of RCB — the wait was nothing short of a saga. At 36, the only man to have donned the same jersey across all 18 seasons, his journey is an unmatched legacy.
Byline: Rakesh Ganesh
Eighteen years of chasing a dream. Seventeen years of heartbreak. For Royal Challengers Bangalore, it had always been a story of near-misses and final-hurdle falls. But in their 18th attempt, the script finally flipped. The perennial underachievers turned champions.
The roar of belief that echoed for years — “Ee Sala Cup Namde” — was no longer a hopeful chant, but a victorious proclamation. With the trophy in hand and history rewritten, captain Rajat Patidar gave those iconic words a triumphant twist – “Ee Sala Cup Namdu.” For the millions who never stopped believing, it was nothing short of a fairytale ending.
A night etched in gold
For a team known for its firepower with the bat and frailties with the ball, it was poetic justice that Royal Challengers Bangalore sealed their maiden IPL title not with a batting blitz, but with a bowling masterclass. On a night dripping with emotion and soaked in history, RCB turned the page on nearly two decades of frustration — and wrote their most glorious chapter yet. In previous finals — 2009, 2011, and 2016 — they had stumbled while chasing. This time, they had the chance to set the tone. But on a tense Tuesday evening at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the batters struggled against a relentless Punjab Kings attack, scratching their way to 190/9. It looked competitive, but hardly commanding.
Then came the twist. RCB’s bowlers, long seen as their Achilles’ heel, rose to the occasion with a precision-packed performance. The pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/38), Yash Dayal (1/18), and Josh Hazlewood (1/54) stifled Punjab’s top order, dishing out the same medicine their batters had tasted earlier — sharp cutters, short-of-a-length deliveries, and relentless discipline.
Openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh couldn’t find rhythm, while only Josh Inglis looked briefly dangerous. Enter Krunal Pandya — and the night turned. Introduced by skipper Rajat Patidar, the veteran all-rounder delivered a spell of pure gold – 2 for 17 in four overs, snapping up Prabhsimran and Inglis. When in-form Shreyas Iyer went back for just a single, the writing was on the wall.
Even as Shashank Singh threatened to spark a miracle with a defiant unbeaten 61 off 30, RCB never flinched. They kept their nerve, their lines, and finally, their promise. As the final wicket sealed destiny, Virat Kohli sank to his knees, tears streaming down his face. After 18 years of heartbreak, RCB were no longer just contenders — they were champions.
This one’s for the team
Royal Challengers Bengaluru were the heartbreak kings of the IPL — a franchise rich in talent, loud in ambition, yet empty-handed when it mattered most. Icons like Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, and even the ever-persistent Virat Kohli gave it their all, only to fall short. And then came Rajat Patidar. In his debut season as captain, the 32-year-old scripted what legends before him could not — delivering RCB’s first-ever IPL title and etching his name into the club’s folklore.
As for Kohli — the beating heart of RCB — the wait was nothing short of a saga. At 36, the only man to have donned the same jersey across all 18 seasons, his journey had begun with a modest one-run outing in 2008. Since then, he has amassed 8,661 runs, eight centuries, and an unmatched legacy. For him, this wasn’t just a title. It was redemption. A reward for loyalty, for perseverance, for carrying the burden of expectation year after year. But championships aren’t won on nostalgia — they’re built with vision. Not just from the players performing as a unit but from the men behind the scenes who actually go about piecing the team together brick by brick.
The turning point came in August 2023, when the franchise appointed Andy Flower as head coach. Quietly brilliant and strategically sharp, Flower brought a wealth of experience, having guided England to a T20 World Cup and three Ashes wins. His first move was bold — parting ways with Mike Hesson.
In came Mo Bobat, former ECB Performance Director, a man Flower had trusted and worked with during his England days. Together, they saw the 2025 mega auction not just as a rebuild — but as a revolution. And they planned for it like chess grandmasters. Months before the auctions, RCB signed the understated yet intelligent Dinesh Karthik, an immensely popular character in the dressing room, as the mentor cum batting coach. With spin coach Malolan Rangarajan already on board, RCB’s think tank was quietly taking shape behind the curtains.
Then came the auction drama. Day 1 was underwhelming — only five players bought, no Indian superstars snapped up. Fans raged. Experts scoffed. Where were the marquee names like KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer? But Flower and Bobat weren’t chasing stardust. They were building balance. Day 2 brought their plan to light — Jitesh Sharma for ₹11 crore, Bhuvneshwar Kumar for ₹10.75 crore, Krunal Pandya for ₹5.75 crore. Critics called it reckless. RCB called it strategy. And that strategy paid off.
They had built not just a squad, but a symphony — superstars who didn’t need the limelight, youngsters hungry to prove a point, and veterans who knew how to win ugly. The result? A team that clicked like never before. Every game brought a new hero. Every setback sparked a response. And by the time the dust settled, RCB stood where they had only dreamt of for 18 years — at the very top. It was a season stitched with belief, bold calls, and a long-overdue coronation.