Pocketing IPL titles, the new fad of RCB

For 18 years, ever since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revolutionised the T20 format of the game in April 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has emerged as one of the most lucrative and popular sporting leagues globally. What started off as a joke, if some cricket pundits are to be believed, has changed the game forever. It is a fact that during the 2026 season, it was evident that anyone can beat anyone in the T20 format and that was reflected in the competitive nature of the league with play-off spots decided on the final day of the league stage.

But Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), starved of an IPL title for 17 years, seems to have made winning a habit after their path-breaking triumph last season, the 18th edition. Call it poetic justice or whatever, No. 18 holds another sentimental significance-it the jersey number of the RCB mascot, Virat Kohli! The think tank led by Andy Flower and Mo Bobat have seemingly put together a champion squad that is delivering handsome results in the middle. They certainly walked the talk on that front. RCB seemed like the most complete side of the competition, and they surely played like one.

Of course, it helped immensely that they had superstar Virat Kohli, whose larger-than-life presence motivated the ‘super young’ with whom he was clearly competing and enjoying himself in the process. No wonder he commented after the victory that ‘this team made the dream possible, a season I’ll never ever forget... This one is for all the years of heartbreaks and disappointment.’ This was the same Kohli during their trophy chase years who scored 916 runs in a single season, rather pointlessly, a decade ago.

Addressing the dressing room, head coach Andy Flower praised the “skill and smarts” of the bowling unit, noting how players stepped up in pressure situations throughout the campaign, saying, “It’s never easy to go back-to-back. It’s happened only twice in the history of the IPL.” Ironically, during their struggling phase, RCB had set records for the highest and lowest totals in the game when they scored 263 (against Pune Warriors in 2013) and were bowled out for 49 (against KKR in 2017). Then there was the mercurial Chris Gayle, who knocked off 175 runs in a span of 66 balls, a record unmatched till date.

The focus however is on the two teams which got eliminated rather early – Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants.

The former, a team full of India stars, disappointed the most this season. The quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma had a season to forget. Rohit Sharma did alright at the top, but his season was impacted by injury. Throughout the season, there were murmurs of division within the leadership group with Hardik left to fight on his own.

As far as Lucknow Super Giants were concerned, a revamp for next season is already in motion following the stepping down of captain Rishabh Pant after two forgettable years. The batting flopped big time in the first half while the bowlers led by Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav impressed. Mohsin was the only bowler who sent down an unprecedented maiden over to Sooryavanshi. In the second half, the bowling standards dropped while the batting could never fire in unison. Pant had another ordinary season, Nicholas

Pooran was disappointing to say the least. Justin Langer and Tom Moody along with Sanjiv Goenka will go on a captain’s shopping during the mini auction at the end of this year. All the same, enough is in store as teams regroup and ready themselves for the forthcoming IPL, a lip-smacking treat for instant cricket, the world over.