IPL 2026: How every piece of the puzzle fell into place for Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Ahmedabad: Royal Challengers Bengaluru players celebrate with the tournament trophy during the presentation ceremony after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 title, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, late Sunday, May 31, 2026. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary) Seventeen years have taught Royal Challengers Bengaluru how to endure. One title taught them how to win.“Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing,” the famous Vince Lombardi once said. For the longest time, RCB seemed to be trapped in the last cycle. Season after season, they have carried the hopes of one of the most passionate fan bases in the IPL, but failed miserably.That wait finally ended in 2025 and by successfully defending their crown in 2026, RCB doubled their IPL trophies in two seasons and became only the third franchise after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to retain the IPL title.Rajat Patidar joined the elite club of captains alongside MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as RCB completed a transformation that few could have imagined during the franchise’s heartland years.For almost two decades, RCB have been defined by superstars. Virat Kohli was and remains the centerpiece. Before and alongside him were icons like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.Yet the unlikely catalyst for the franchise’s golden era was Patidar, the understated captain from Madhya Pradesh who now has two IPL titles under his belt and has overseen the most successful period in the franchise’s history.

More importantly, the 2026 campaign proved that the 2025 triumph was no fluke. It was just the beginning. After years of searching for the right combination, RCB think tank Mo Bobat, Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik assembled a team that was not dependent on one individual to carry the load.The old RCB often relied on individual brilliance. There have been periods fueled by the destruction of Gayle, campaigns saved by de Villiers and years when Kohli carried almost the entire batting responsibility on his shoulders. Kohli still led from the front in 2026 and finished as the franchise’s leading run-scorer again, but this time he had support. It’s a lot.The march to a second straight title ended at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where RCB had broken their curse a year earlier.Winning a title is hard; defending one is a completely different challenge. But RCB were up to it. They finished top of the points table with nine wins from 14 league matches, swept Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 and then repeated their feat in the final against the same opponents.

Calm head, aggressive team

At the center of that transformation was the Patidar.

Rajat Patidar

When he took over as captain, the challenge extended far beyond tactics. Over the last two seasons, however, Patidar has quietly molded the team in his own image: calm on the field, aggressive once the competition begins.The captain also led from the front with the bat, finishing the season with 501 runs at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69. His 42 sixes were among the highest in the tournament.When RCB stumbled against Rajasthan Royals, Patidar rebuilt before accelerating to 63. He smashed 53 off just 20 balls at the Wankhede. Against Lucknow Super Giants, his 61 almost dragged RCB into an unlikely chase. Then came Qualifier 1 where he produced arguably the innings of the season as he blasted 93 off just 33 deliveries with nine sixes to effectively settle the match before Gujarat Titans even started chasing.Yet even in a team that has evolved beyond its reliance on individuals, Kohli has remained its foundation.

Virat Kohli: Still the standard bearer

At 37, Kohli once again topped RCB’s run charts, scoring 657 runs at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 165.49, with one century and five half-centuries. His unbeaten 105 against Kolkata Knight Riders silenced any doubts after back-to-back ducks. His 81 against Gujarat Titans in a chase of 206 was pure class. His unbeaten 69 in the season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad ensured that RCB’s title defense began with a declaration of victory.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli celebrates with his teammates after winning the Indian Premier League final cricket match against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.

And when the biggest scene came, Kohli once again found a way to leave his mark. The man who spent nearly two decades carrying the franchise’s hopes produced his fastest IPL fifty in the final (75*) to start the chase that sealed RCB’s second straight title.

Different heroes, same result

With Josh Hazlewood becoming Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s perfect with the ball, Devdutt Padikkal proved to be an ideal partner for Kohli and Patidar in the batting unit.Padikkal returned to Bengaluru last season after enduring difficult spells elsewhere, but IPL 2026 has been his real renaissance. He finished with 464 runs at a strike rate of 168.72 and consistently delivered aggression.His 61 off 26 balls against SRH turned a daunting chase of 202 into a comfortable chase. His fifty against CSK laid the foundation for RCB’s mammoth total of 250. He scored a decisive 55 off 27 deliveries against GT.The batting depth didn’t end there.Tim David’s role was clear from the start: finish games. His 305 runs came at a strike rate of 189.44. The definitive performance came against CSK when he hit an unbeaten 70 off just 25 deliveries. Throughout the season, David produced impressive cameos that repeatedly tilted matches in RCB’s favour.

Krunal Pandya celebrates after taking the wicket of Jose Buttler. (Photo credit: IPL)

By his side was Krunal Pandya, one of the most valuable all-rounders of the tournament. Krunal scored 226 runs at an average of 37.66 while striking at 145.80 and also took 14 wickets. His contributions often came in moments of crisis.His 73 against Mumbai Indians in a dramatic last-ball victory at Raipur was as powerful as he had been during the season.Phil Salt’s season has been curtailed by injury, but his impact when available has been huge. He scored 202 runs in just six innings at 168.33 and provided explosive starts that helped establish RCB’s aggressive identity early in the tournament.Not forgetting Venkatesh Iyer, who warmed the bench for most of IPL 2026 before being pressed into action when both Bethell and Salt were unavailable and provided an impetus with the bat in the play-offs. His 73* off 40 at No.4 vs PBKS was exceptional. If the batting provided the firepower, the bowling provided the control that ultimately separated RCB from the rest of the field.

Bhuvi, Hazlewood and RCB’s new formula

For years, RCB’s batting has grabbed most of the attention, while questions have lingered over their attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar changed that. The experienced seamer finished with 28 wickets at an average of 17.89 – just one shy of the Purple Cap – and an economy rate of under eight.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivers a delivery during the Indian Premier League final cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

His spell against DC, where he and Hazlewood reduced the opposition to 8 for 6, was among the most devastating new ball performances of the season. He produced another winning spell against MI. Time and again, Bhuvneshwar gave RCB timely control, allowing the rest of the attack to operate from positions of strength. At 36, he looked every inch the leader of a championship bowling unit.Hazlewood’s numbers were modest by his lofty standards – 15 goals from 13 games – but his impact was huge. The Australian relentlessly hit hard lengths, creating pressure and repeatedly forcing the batsmen into errors.Then there was Rasikh Salam.The young fast bowler proved to be one of the revelations of the season, picking up 19 wickets in just 12 matches. Confident in the difficult stages of the innings, Rasikh repaid that faith with breakthroughs at crucial moments, completing a pace attack that combined experience with youthful energy – his three-wicket haul in the final a testament to that.

Ahmedabad, May 31 (ANI): Rasikh Salam Dar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrates the wicket of Nishant Sindhu of Gujarat Titans during their Indian Premier League 2026 final match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. (NOT a photo)

Although Hazlewood missed games at the start of the tournament, Jacob Duffy stepped in without problems and also started during the final.From an individual perspective, these performances were memorable victories. When viewed together, they tell a bigger story.Each great victory featured a different hero. Sometimes it was Kohli. Sometimes Patidar. Sometimes Padikkal. Sometimes David. Sometimes Krunal. Sometimes Bhuvneshwar. Sometimes they were bowlers working as a collective unit. That was the defining characteristic of this championship.Each great victory featured a different hero. Sometimes it was Kohli. Sometimes Patidar. Sometimes Padikkal. Sometimes David. Sometimes Krunal. Sometimes Bhuvneshwar. Sometimes they were bowlers working as a collective unit. That was the defining characteristic of this championship.The first IPL trophy ended one of the longest waits in the league. The other confirmed something even more important. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are no longer franchise history. They may be on their way to creating one.