With the new season’s league campaign completed, the spotlight has moved sharply onto Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they prepare to defend the title. The franchise carried the momentum into the playoffs by finishing first in the standings and securing a valuable advantage, but the knockout stage is where reputations are truly tested. Their next assignment is a high-pressure Qualifier against a Gujarat Titans unit that has already demonstrated it can match the champions blow-for-blow.
Key takeaways
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru earned the top spot in the league phase and will begin the knockout stage with a crucial playoff benefit.
- In the league meeting between the two sides, each team managed one win, underscoring how evenly matched they are.
- RCB have been a touch uneven recently, dropping two of their last five games, including a 55-run loss in their final league outing.
- Gujarat Titans enter the playoffs in sharper rhythm, having lost only once in their previous five matches.
- Sanjay Manjrekar urged Virat Kohli to keep his attacking style while avoiding taking excessive responsibility in decisive moments.
RCB’s challenge: carry momentum into the knockouts
Both squads looked closely matched during the league stage, with the results split evenly—one victory each—suggesting there is very little separating them when the stakes rise. Even so, the finish to RCB’s campaign has raised a few questions. They suffered defeats in two of their last five matches, and the most notable setback came when they were beaten by a margin of 55 runs in their final league contest.
Gujarat Titans, meanwhile, have built momentum at the right time. Their recent record shows a steadier trajectory, with only a single loss across their last five outings. That contrast in late-season form sets up a tense playoff encounter, where momentum, execution, and mindset will matter as much as individual brilliance.
Manjrekar’s message for Kohli: keep the template, don’t overreach
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has offered specific advice to RCB’s talisman, Virat Kohli, ahead of the knockout proceedings. He believes Kohli should maintain an aggressive approach, but also steer clear of loading too much of the chase-or-control burden onto his own shoulders during critical phases of the match.
Manjrekar’s view is that RCB’s success has been rooted in a balanced team structure rather than depending on one player to carry the innings. He warned that if Kohli tries to do everything in the closing stages, it could upset that equilibrium and create avoidable risks for the side. In his words, RCB should keep the same overall plan—Kohli is a key figure, but the team’s effectiveness should not be built on the idea that everything must go through him.
Kohli’s form: aggressive intent alongside reliability
On the performance front, Kohli has enjoyed another standout season. He has amassed 557 runs in 14 matches, striking at 163.82 while maintaining an average of 50.64. Importantly, the impact this year has not just been about consistency—his batting has shown a clear shift in tempo at the top of the order.
Alongside the steady run-flow, Kohli has increased the pace of scoring and has delivered one century and four half-centuries. The numbers point to a more attacking mindset, while his ability to stay dependable at the crease remains intact—an ideal combination as RCB look to translate league dominance into playoff delivery.
