Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru owner Vijay Mallya posted a heartfelt tribute to the franchise after Virat Kohli steered them to a second IPL championship in just two seasons. In the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Kohli produced the standout effort for RCB, finishing not out on 75 as the Bengaluru side chased down the target to win by five wickets. With the title, Royal Challengers became the third franchise in IPL history—after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings—to defend the trophy successfully and land back-to-back crowns. “RCB RCB… Congratulations Double back to back IPL Champions. Namma dodda Simhagulu roared loudly and made us all very proud. Very well done you beauties,” Mallya wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
RCB’s supporters, however, will not get the chance to celebrate the title defence alongside the squad in the city. The franchise opted against organising a victory parade in Bengaluru, citing concerns that a large public turnout could trigger crowd trouble—an issue that followed last year’s celebrations and ended in a tragic stampede.
The decision was also influenced by a separate major gathering in the city: the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The event is set to take place at Lok Bhavan at 4:10 pm, with the Governor’s residence located close to Chinnaswamy Stadium, meaning expectations of heavy footfall from across the state.
With several dignitaries scheduled to attend, the function will require substantial police deployment. In that situation, the management felt it would be difficult for the state police to divert personnel to yet another high-stakes occasion. As a result, RCB decided it was better to follow the police advisory that bars public celebrations on city streets.
