RCB skipper Rajat Patidar’s four-word post after joining MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma with back-to-back IPL titles

Rajat Patidar (BCCI/IPL photo) NEW DELHI: Emotions, cheers and roars rang out around the Narendra Modi Stadium as Rajat Patidar made a post-match presentation after Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their second straight IPL title with a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad.RCB, who won their maiden IPL crown in Ahmedabad in 2025, successfully defended the title a year later, becoming only the third franchise after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to do so. The victory also extended the Qualifier 1 winners’ streak of winning the trophy to nine consecutive seasons. The triumph put Patidar in elite company, becoming only the third captain in IPL history to win back-to-back titles.MS Dhoni achieved success with Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, while Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to glory in 2019 and 2020.After the moment of winning the title, Patidar took to social media and summed up the success in four words.“Ee Sala Cup Namdu,” Patidar wrote.Reflecting on the campaign, Patidar admitted that the pressure this season was very different from what the team experienced a year ago.“Last year there was a lot of pressure, this year it was more calm because the way we played throughout the tournament, we dominated this year,” Patidar said after the match.“So we were pretty confident that if we play like this, we will definitely win the second title for RCB.Talking about his captaincy style, Patidar said his calm demeanor should not be mistaken for a lack of awareness.“I’m not expressive, but at the same time I’m aware of the game situation. Of course you need support, as I said, there was a lot of support from the management and also from the players.” Patidar also reserved special praise for Virat Kohli, saying the former captain’s influence on and off the field continues to inspire the team.Kohli anchored RCB’s chase of 156 against Gujarat Titans with an unbeaten 75, guiding the team home with two overs to spare in Ahmedabad.The star batsman finished the season with 675 runs, including one century and five half-centuries.“If I talk about Virat Kohli, I have no words to explain him. He is used to doing big things,” Patidar told reporters.“He is a great player, everyone knows him – how he bats. We all get an opportunity to learn from him on and off the field. We spend a lot of time with him and try to learn what he has to say, about cricket or anything else,” the RCB skipper said.