A defining slice of action from Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala offered a snapshot of how far Royal Challengers Bengaluru have evolved. Rajat Patidar was on 16 from 11 balls and RCB were already two wickets down when the Gujarat Titans briefly sensed a crack. Jason Holder struck with a two-wicket burst, and Rashid Khan tightened the screws from the other end, leaving the Bengaluru batters looking hemmed in. That is the unforgiving rhythm of T20 cricket: the game can feel effortless with boundaries coming at better-than-a-run-a-ball, then suddenly becomes heavy and slow after a couple of dismissals\u2014especially when momentum flips so quickly.<\/p>\n
From there, a few fielding slips from the 2022 champions only made the moment more dangerous. Patidar didn\u2019t just take advantage; he dismantled Gujarat\u2019s plans with ruthless efficiency. Shubman Gill and Ashish Nehra were left searching for answers after the brief wobble, and there was added context too\u2014earlier in the season in Ahmedabad, Patidar had been targeted with short-ball tactics and dismissed early. This time, Gujarat had no Arshad Khan in the mix, and the short-ball strategy collapsed under the weight of Patidar\u2019s intent. He launched a sustained assault to finish unbeaten on 93 off just 33 deliveries, sending RCB toward their second consecutive IPL final.<\/p>\n
That stunning surge, along with the way RCB\u2019s season has unfolded, naturally raises the bigger question: how did this side get from where it once stood to this point?<\/p>\n
For 17 years, RCB have lived the role of cricket\u2019s eternal romantics\u2014beloved, dramatic, and repeatedly falling short. While many franchises built their identities around silverware, Bengaluru often assembled a gallery of stars. Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, and Rahul Dravid are names that defined eras, but the missing ingredient was a consistently complete team\u2014one that could translate individual brilliance into sustained tournament success.<\/p>\n
The shift didn\u2019t begin at the auction table, though. Mo Bobat, a former England performance director, joined the franchise in 2023 as director of cricket, and a year later Andy Flower arrived as head coach after his role in a T20 World Cup-winning set-up. Dinesh Karthik, a veteran wicketkeeper-batter, was also brought in as batting coach, adding another layer to the franchise\u2019s attempt to refine how it develops and executes skills.<\/p>\n
The most visible change came through a departure from the superstar-first blueprint. Ahead of the mega auction, RCB retained only three players\u2014among them Kohli and Patidar\u2014freeing the franchise to pursue something it had often undervalued: elite bowling. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood were brought in, and together they have formed what many see as an exceptionally well-balanced new-ball combination. Even with talk that Bhuvneshwar\u2019s peak might be nearing its later stages, he has reignited conversation about an India return following two outstanding IPL seasons. Hazlewood, meanwhile, has fit seamlessly into the role of the ideal strike partner\u2014precise, intimidating, and complementary.<\/p>\n
Batting was also reworked rather than simply rearranged, and Kohli\u2019s evolution sat at the heart of that transformation. For years, his T20 conversations were dominated by strike rate charts and efficiency metrics, but around the middle of 2024 he leaned into what modern T20 batting increasingly demands. A brutal encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad is described as the turning point, after which Kohli moved from a careful accumulator into a powerplay aggressor. The effect has been immediate: his strike rate this season is above 164, the highest of any IPL campaign in his career.<\/p>\n
Patidar, for his part, has been trusted to steer the middle overs with a blend of control and calculated aggression. Around him, RCB have constructed a supportive framework that includes vice-captain Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, and Krunal Pandya\u2014an option whose role has kept evolving, and who has quietly become one of the franchise\u2019s most important all-round pieces.<\/p>\n
Another reason the team\u2019s rise has felt structurally different is depth. When Phil Salt was sidelined, RCB leaned on Jacob Bethell. When Bethell also became unavailable, they didn\u2019t cling to familiar constraints at the top; they backed Venkatesh Iyer to take on the early role. That kind of flexibility is something earlier RCB teams rarely offered in a sustained way.<\/p>\n
Bobat has explained the mindset behind these changes with a directness that matches the franchise\u2019s new tone. \u201cWhen an organisation hasn\u2019t achieved its main goal for 17 years, you have to ask why,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you have to have the humility to look at your own failings. RCB had a history of relying heavily on a few icon players, and the team\u2019s performance depended on those players performing well. We wanted a more even distribution of talent and experience to give ourselves a better chance of building a championship-winning team.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also clear that this trust between captain and management is deeper than strategy alone.<\/p>\n
Patidar\u2019s captaincy, by most accounts, looks noticeably different from the typical RCB script. When leadership was handed to him last year, there were questions everywhere, along with speculation about whether Kohli might return to the role. Patidar absorbed the noise without letting it affect his focus, keeping attention firmly on the cricket itself. He has largely left the wider strategic thinking to Flower and Bobat, while the management has responded with frank self-assessment\u2014especially when things haven\u2019t gone their way.<\/p>\n
When RCB struggled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium last season, they didn\u2019t dodge responsibility or hide behind excuses. Instead, they reviewed what was needed to bat and bowl in Bengaluru, then rebuilt the plan accordingly. The turnaround was immediate. After losing three of their six home games in the previous season, RCB improved to four wins in five matches at Bengaluru this year.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also Karthik, whose impact doesn\u2019t always get the same spotlight as Flower\u2019s presence. After spending years polishing his own finishing craft as a batter, he now applies the same discipline from the dugout. His approach includes one-on-one work with players\u2014reading their strengths, identifying the areas they need to attack or protect, and helping them prepare for pressure situations rather than merely react to them.<\/p>\n
Krunal gave a window into that work after his match-winning 73 against the Mumbai Indians, describing how, beneath RCB\u2019s calmness during tense phases and the clarity of their decision-making, Karthik\u2019s relentless behind-the-scenes preparation played a major part.<\/p>\n
That is the pressure point Bobat posed to the group when the side regrouped before the season began: \u201cWhy can\u2019t we be the third team to do it?\u201d Only two franchises have previously defended an IPL title\u2014Chennai Super Kings in 2011 and Mumbai Indians in 2020. Now RCB stand one step away, already with two straight IPL finals behind them and a trophy secured in their campaign. Just as importantly, the team\u2019s energy doesn\u2019t carry the look of satisfaction; it carries hunger.<\/p>\n
When Flower took over, he spoke about building something special within the franchise. Whether RCB lift the trophy again this season or not, the direction of travel is clear\u2014and it\u2019s difficult to argue that the ambition hasn\u2019t already been delivered in spirit, structure, and results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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