RCB wins IPL 2025: No more the nearly men

After years of toil, there were tears of joy.

Seventeen years. 6,255 days. 286 games.

At long last, Royal Challengers Bengaluru broke its title jinx and lifted the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, sending players, fans and an entire city into rapturous celebration.

The women’s team had already won the Women’s Premier League title. A year later, it was the men’s turn to finally add silverware to a cabinet that had remained empty since the tournament’s inception in 2008.

Fittingly, it was also a tribute to the franchise’s longest-serving cricketer and former captain, Virat Kohli — who, in his own words, gave his “youth, prime and experience” to RCB and helped shape it into what it is today.

Despite boasting some of the finest cricketers over the years, RCB consistently stumbled at crucial moments. Seasons came and went, heartbreaks mounted, and the fan base waited through near-eternity before their war cry — Ee sala cup namde — was finally realised.

Led by a calm and composed Rajat Patidar, this version of RCB had all the ingredients of a champion side. With Kohli’s mentorship and quiet backing, they transformed from perennial underachievers into deserving winners.

As Kohli remarked, this was a team of focused, composed individuals on a mission. They kept emotions in check, remained grounded, and ignored the noise. That, in many ways, became their recipe for success.

Patidar absorbed the pressures of captaincy with poise. Behind him stood a solid backroom staff — Mo Bobat, Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik — who kept things steady. At the auction, they went in with a clear plan: add impact. Phil Salt (403 runs), Jitesh Sharma (261 runs), and Liam Livingstone were the main additions. While Salt and Jitesh brought stability to the batting, Livingstone chipped in with a crucial cameo, 25 off 15, in the final.

The think tank understood one central truth — the team still revolved around Kohli. Their approach was to trust the players, allow instinct to take charge, and avoid over-coaching.

That trust extended to the bowling department, where much-needed gaps were addressed. “There was a strong, unwavering focus on assembling a quality bowling attack — that was recognised as essential from the very beginning,” head coach Flower said.

Jitesh Sharma’s 24 off 10, including two bold sixes — one flat over cover, one scooped over the keeper —pushed RCB to a vital 190 in the final.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya, both experienced campaigners, were smart additions. Alongside Josh Hazlewood, Romario Shepherd, Yash Dalal and Suyash Sharma, they delivered time and again in clutch moments. But they saved their best for last, defending 190 on a pitch where runs had flowed all season — before the final, the average first-innings score in Ahmedabad was 219.

The turning point? Krunal Pandya’s spell.

Punjab was cruising at 52 for 1 after the Powerplay. But Krunal’s subtle variations in pace and turn stifled the batters. His first over went for just three runs. In the next, he dismissed the dangerous Prabhsimran Singh with a clever change of pace — a move that flipped the script.

“Krunal is a big-match player and a fierce competitor. That spell was the defining difference between the sides,” Flower said.

For Patidar, too, Krunal was a constant. “Every time I was under pressure, he (Krunal) remained my go-to bowler… I looked for him every time the situation demanded.”

RCB head coach Andy Flower is known for thorough preparation well ahead of auctions. His team reaps the rewards.
| Photo Credit:
K Murali Kumar

For a franchise that had waited 17 long years, scepticism was natural. But with Kohli at the centre, belief never wavered.

Unlike earlier editions stacked with star power, this was a side built on experience and clarity. There were no single-handed rescue acts — it was shared responsibility. In the past, RCB relied heavily on individual brilliance — from Chris Gayle to AB de Villiers — without much success. This time, it invested in impact players and built squad depth. Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal and Tim David shared the dugout with domestic talents like Rasikh Dar and Swapnil Singh. That blend allowed the team to remain competitive regardless of the XI.

Kohli, as always, was the centrepiece. He amassed 657 runs, but perhaps more crucially, offered timely inputs — often during strategic breaks or between overs — to keep younger players settled. As Patidar admitted, “It was a great learning experience for me. I think he deserves it more than anyone else — Virat Kohli and all the fans.”

Wherever RCB played, Kohli drew crowds and support. And when the trophy was finally in hand, he dedicated the win to the fans of Bengaluru. “This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team,” he said, overcome with emotion, on his knees, head bowed to the turf.

After 18 seasons with one franchise and many heartbreaks, Kohli could barely believe the moment had arrived. The tears were inevitable.

But with his retirement from Tests and T20Is, one might ask — what still fuels him in the IPL?

“Even after 18 years, he has the same impact, same energy and same commitment that marked his debut season,” said R. Sridhar, former India fielding coach. “His dedication to fitness and discipline has inspired others across teams to adopt similar routines.”

And at RCB, Kohli’s spirit has rubbed off. The squad rallied around him, and when the moment came, they gave it everything to win it for ‘VK’.

Fire and ice. That’s the contrast between Kohli and Patidar. One is all visible intensity, the other unreadable.

But Patidar’s restraint masks depth. “He might look calm, but there’s an ocean inside him,” said Amay Khurasiya, his long-time mentor.

When few backed Patidar, Khurasiya, then heading the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Academy, doubled down. “When he was discarded from the system, we worked closely. We knew we were backing the right person. Our interest was always on commitment and character. Rajat had those two qualities in ample and once we were sure of that, we only had to work on the technical aspects,” Khurasiya, a former India international, explained.

Khurasiya had also once recommended Patidar and Kuldeep Sen to Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) as a scout. That didn’t materialise. Ironically, years later, it was Patidar who dashed Punjab’s hopes in a final.

Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar have travelled very different paths — one a prodigy turned global star, the other a late bloomer.
| Photo Credit:
K MURALI KUMAR

Patidar’s journey hasn’t been smooth. “When you are not born with a silver spoon, you have to struggle,” Khurasiya said. “He had to take five steps back in a bid to move one step forward.”

But when the final was won, Kohli hugged Patidar. They had travelled very different paths — one a prodigy turned global star, the other a late bloomer. But over time, Kohli mentored him and helped ignite the fire that powered this campaign.

Together, they had finally brought the trophy home.