After a 17-year cycle of hope, heartbreak and then hope again, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are finally champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), courtesy of a six-run win in the 2025 final against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Tears flowed from Virat Kohli’s face; the man who has been there from the very beginning. He has given so much to this franchise and has ridden the waves – some very rocky waves at times – all the way to the shore of an IPL title after 18 long years.
RCB fans had to pinch themselves in excitement, wondering if this is all just a beautiful dream. It’s certainly reality, with ee sala cup namde (this year the cup is ours) coming true.
RCB produced the goods on the field, but the seeds were planted off it. After months of planning and sound tactical appointments, RCB entered the IPL 2025 mega auction with a clear strategy as to the make up of their squad: A champion team, rather than a team of champions.
While other franchises made headline-grabbing purchases, RCB quietly went about their business, building a roster based on balance, consistency, and most importantly, decisive thinking in terms of how they perceived the style of play would be.
It didn’t come without the doubters. Krunal Pandya’s purchase was questioned on social media. Few wondered whether Bhuvneshwar Kumar still had enough in the tank to help take RCB to the next level. RCB not bidding for KL Rahul was also a hot talking point, as was the decision to appoint Rajat Patidar as captain. And, who could forget Akash Ambani’s infamous handshakes to RCB representatives at their auction table after Mumbai Indians secured the services of former player Will Jacks.
- Why RCB won IPL 2025: Brilliance both on and off the field
- RCB management produce the goods
- RCB‘s bowling unit comes up trumps
- RCB’s batting unit clicks
- Rajat Patidar, the captain
Why RCB won IPL 2025: Brilliance both on and off the field
However, all that was just noise to a franchise zoned in. RCB knew what they were doing in the attempt to build on regular playoff appearances since 2020. Rarely have RCB been short of champion talent over the years, but they’ve often relied on a few players. 2025 was a different story, with a real team effort both on and off the field.
RCB management produce the goods
RCB’s management deserve their “flowers”. Andy Flower can add another magnificent achievement to a magnificent coaching CV. Wherever he goes, success follows, and he will forever remain in RCB folklore.
Flower’s cricketing prowess is up there with the best, but it’s his management skills that sets him apart. His relationship with Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket, has proven to be a huge factor to RCB’s success. Having two senior members of the leadership group on the same page is the envy of some of the other franchises, where strategic nous is lacking.
Omkar Salvi as the bowling coach was also a sound appointment before the auction. A successful coach in the Indian domestic circuit, Salvi oversaw RCB’s strongest-ever attack perform on a regular basis in IPL 2025, including in the final where the pressure was intense.
Also, the appointment of analyst Freddie Wilde highlights where RCB are at. Wilde, part of the editorial team at , has been critical of RCB in the past, most notably after the 2018 season.
“You have 8.5 million pounds to build a T20 team. You really shouldn’t end up with Corey Anderson bowling your death overs. But at Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2018 IPL, that is exactly what happened: not just once, but in three different matches,” Wilde wrote in his book Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution.
“When Coulter-Nile was ruled out weeks before the season, RCB’s squad was already loaded with powerful overseas batsmen. But rather than replace Coulter-Nile with another bowler, RCB plumped for Anderson instead. ‘Corey plays a bold game and has incredible potential,’ explained RCB’s head coach Daniel Vettori. The statement had corporate fingerprints all over it: that season Bangalore’s official hashtag was #PlayBold.”
Knowing Wilde’s views, it would have been easy for RCB to look elsewhere for an analyst. After all, such critique, while constructive and justified, can be ego-bruising. Instead, RCB hired Wilde as their Head of Analysis in 2023, and they have bore the fruits.
RCB‘s bowling unit comes up trumps
Day 6,255 of RCB’s existence is their most memorable. Since their first IPL match on April 18, 2008, RCB have experienced heartbreak and disappointment in equal measure. After reaching three IPL finals – with the last being in 2016 – RCB endured three poor years between 2017 and 2019 that required a shift in mindset.
From the 2020 season in the UAE until now, RCB have been much better on the bowling front. This was the cornerstone of their 2025 season, with the bowling attack working as a unit regularly, with meticulous preparation, planning and execution the hallmark of this champion team.
RCB knew their matchups. From Suyash Sharma to Andre Russell in match one to Josh Hazlewood to Shreyas Iyer in the playoffs, RCB had everything covered. They nailed their lengths at different stages. Krunal Pandya, the only player to win man of the match in two separate IPL Finals, built pressure with every passing delivery thanks to immaculate control of speed and length.
The left-arm spinner was magnificent all season. He just took it up a notch in the game that mattered most. Krunal took the tenth-most wickets this season and had the seventh-best economy rate (among bowlers who bowled 25+ overs). When you have Krunal in this mood, Suyash Sharma, who also performed admirably in IPL 2025, has more room for error. Plus, with Krunal following up the powerplay exploits Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal, the seemingly below-par 190 quickly looked a distant destination for PBKS, a fate realised by various teams throughout a campaign where RCB were simply outstanding away from the Chinnaswamy.
Onto the seam trio. Hazlewood had a season to remember. 22 wickets and endless impact. The 22 runs he conceded off the inconsequential final four balls equated to 15.28% of the total runs he conceded in his last four matches, which included match winning spells against RR (4/33) and 3/21 against PBKS in Qualifier 1.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a key role in the final, conceding just seven runs and taking two crucial wickets in the 17th over to give RCB a hand on the trophy. The 10.75cr investment in Saudi Arabia on November 25 was well and truly justified as his experience was invaluable, especially in the crunch overs in the crunch games.
In terms of comeback stories, Yash Dayal’s is one to savour. Two years ago, Dayal was hit for five sixes in a row by Rinku Singh, leaving him distraught. Fast forward to 2025, and Dayal was crowned an IPL champion on the same turf, delivering the kind of poise and control in the death overs that has served RCB so well. It happened to be the case again in the final.
RCB’s batting unit clicks
This current RCB unit doesn’t have the big names of yesteryear. There was also the concern that too many right-handers may allow opponents to get their measure. However, both of those factors were soon thrown out the window as RCB found their batting groove early and rarely lost it.
Phil Salt, so dominant for KKR in their title-winning campaign in 2024, produced the same impact for RCB. The right-hander smashed 318 runs in the powerplay at a strike rate of 174.7. Virat Kohli, who was uncharacteristically circumspect in the final compared to his IPL 2025 exploits, struck at 157.4 in the same phase, a marked shift from his 136.8 in 2023.
However, powerplay batting alone isn’t enough. Even Devdutt Padikkal, considered a weakness at three, produced impactful knocks before injury ended his campaign. Rajat Patidar fought for his best form at times, but began to find his range again in the crunch games. Then, the middle-to-late order really delivered.
Jitesh Sharma is an unsung hero in this RCB triumph. The keeper-batsman’s magnificent 33-ball 85* in their final league game against LSG enabled Rajat Patidar’s team to finish in the top two. Also, with RCB in danger of a significantly below-par total in the final, Jitesh contributed a crucial 10-ball 24 that gave the RCB innings a pulse.
In terms of crucial knocks, Tim David and Romario Shepherd also delivered. The duo combined for 400 runs between overs 16-20 this season at a strike rate of 186. Shepherd’s 14-ball 53 against CSK on May 3 proved vital as RCB won that match by just two runs. David was a consistent force in the early part of the season, regularly finishing innings well to put defendable totals on the board.
Like the bowling, RCB’s batting clicked as a unit, with each player clear on their role.
Rajat Patidar, the captain
Rajat Patidar went unsold in the IPL 2022 Auction. He only came in as an injury replacement for Luvnith Sisodia. In 2023, injury ruined his campaign. Less than two years later, he was asked to take on a huge assignment in his first captaincy gig in the IPL – lead a huge franchise to its first title.