For over 15 years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru stood as the epitome of inconsistency, a symbol of excess in which winning titles wasn’t necessarily the end goal. But this latest version of RCB is a well-oiled winning machine, its supremacy throughout the league season culminating in a clinical performance in the final against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Rajat Patidar & Co hardly put a foot wrong as the defending champions two-peated in front of 90,000 fans. This was the new RCB distilled: bowlers picking up new-ball wickets, spin controlling the middle overs before the seamers inflicted damage at the death. It’s what has made them an efficient side in a league known for its fickleness. Since the beginning of the 2025 season, they have won 22 of 32 games, including all four in the latter stages of the tournament.
The transformation owes much to a remarkable support staff and the franchise’s top-down approach since Andy Flower and Mo Bobat came on board. Equally important has been the contribution of Dinesh Karthik, the batting mentor, whose influence has helped RCB’s Indian batters evolve and play with greater intent over the last two seasons. Such has been their progress that Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal would not be out of place in national colours. Credit, too, to RCB’s conviction in backing so-called Test-match seam specialists at a time when the rest of the league was looking elsewhere.
What has changed? A commitment to evidence-based planning—“trust the process and the results will follow”—coupled with a more human touch in one-to-one conversations. The challenge now is sustaining that success. A lot can change over the next 10 months, but RCB have a new challenge on their hands before the next mega auction ahead of the 2028 season. Can they aim for a hat-trick of titles, a feat no team has achieved in IPL’s history? Should they manage it, they will go down in history as one of the finest T20 sides in the world. Off the field, this will deliver immediate return on investment for the new owners who are set to assume control in the coming weeks. If they can convince the BCCI to host the final at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2027, it will also be just reward for fans who supported this franchise during the lean period.
