‘What a player’: England captain Harry Kane’s special post for Virat Kohli and RCB

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successful IPL title defense drew praise from across the sporting world, with England captain Harry Kane joining the chorus of congratulatory messages following RCB’s triumph over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final. Kane took to Instagram Stories to applaud Virat Kohli and RCB after their five-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.“What a player and what a knock @virat.kohli! Congratulations @royalchallengers.bengaluru for returning to IPL titles,” Kane wrote.RCB, who ended their 18-year wait for a first IPL trophy in 2025, successfully defended their crown a year later with another dominant campaign. Their latest triumph made them only the third franchise in IPL history, after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, to win back-to-back titles.With the win, Rajat Patidar also entered the list of elite captains. The RCB skipper became only the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to lead the team to back-to-back IPL titles.Kohli once again played a key role in the title campaign as he made an unbeaten 75 in the final. Patidar, who scored more than 500 runs during the season, credited Kohli for not only helping him improve technically but also for being a constant source of support for the younger players in the team.“As I look at my batting, I try to work on where I can improve, especially against the pacers. I got a lot of ideas and help from Kohli bhai. Whenever I see him, he is always there for the team and all the players. He goes after the young players even if they are nervous approaching him,” said Patidar.Reflecting on his second IPL title as captain, Patidar admitted that memories of last year’s historic triumph came flooding back as he entered the stadium, but stressed that the team was firmly focused on the present.“It’s a great feeling. There were a lot of memories from last year, but we had to stay in the present. I don’t have words to express it, but it’s a good feeling,” he said.Patidar revealed that RCB’s plans were clear after evaluating the conditions, with the team backing each other in the chase.“The plan was clear, it was easier to chase. We wanted to get their top three. Our bowlers were brilliant throughout the tournament. Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), (Josh) Hazlewood, Rasikh (Dar), Krunal (Pandya), Sheppie (Romario Shepherd), they were all brilliant,” Patidar said.