Virat Kohli, RCB on fire as Mo Bobat calls for unprecedented IPL performance

Royal Challengers Bengaluru may have just won their second consecutive Indian Premier League trophy, but the franchise has no intention of quitting. After ending a harrowing 18-year title drought last year, the team have well and truly established themselves as a powerhouse and are now chasing a feat no other franchise has ever achieved.

A fiery speech in the locker room follows RCB’s dominant win over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 final on Sunday in Ahmedabad, team director Mo Bobat wasted no time in tossing wickets.

“I have one more thing to say,” Bobat announced to the enthralled dressing room. “No team has ever won three in a row. Captains, what do you think? Three in a row?”

This question immediately changed the atmosphere of the room. Virat Kohli and the rest of the squad erupted, totally excited at the prospect of charting unprecedented territory. Captain Rajat Patidar replied with absolute certainty, “Certainly.”

SILENCE AUCTION CRITICS

Achieving the three-peat is an extremely rare feat in top-flight sport, with Australia’s dominant era of men’s cricket between 1999 and 2007 the most famous modern template. To even be able to replicate this greatness, Bobat emphasized that building the right foundation from the ground up is critical.

On Monday at a virtual press conference with journalists Bobat reflected on the strategic choices that built this core of the championship during the previous mega-auction. At the time, critics were far from impressed.

“It’s funny, when we finished our mega auction, I think we were ranked second in the quality of the team by quite a lot of broadcasters and a lot of experts,” Bobat recalled. “A lot of people were rooting for us to finish last.

Rather than let outside noise derail them, the leadership backed their calculated plan.

“It certainly wasn’t anything that affected our thought process or psychology,” Bobat claimed. “We were clear about what we were trying to build as a team in terms of the team structure. We were pretty clear about the attributes and qualities we wanted from the players – a mix of skills and character.”

Bobat also noted that while franchises can’t outright win the tournament at the auction table, they can certainly lose it, explaining that “it’s pretty hard to return things that you either regret… once you go through your first mega-auction.”

THE ENDLESS GOAL

Rajat Patidar’s calm leadership has been a massive pillar of RCB’s unprecedented back-to-back success. The Patidar stepped into the role of captain and preferred cooperation to autocracy.

“I always like to follow my instincts, but I also like to go and interact with coaches and experienced players where I can get ideas,” explained Patidar. “All in all, it’s my way of captaining.

With a robust leadership group backing his instincts, the franchise is poised to go from two-time champion to outright dynasty. Bobat believes that a truly great team must never settle for past successes.

“I always had it in my head that once we won the first one, we had to not settle for it,” Bobat concluded. “Because like any sports team, you want to have an almost infinite goal that you’re always trying to achieve, something that keeps inspiring your fans.”

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

02 Jun 2026 10:27 IST