{"id":13553,"date":"2026-06-01T00:42:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/kohlis-rcb-trophy-drought-captaincy-era-without-silverware"},"modified":"2026-06-01T00:42:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:42:44","slug":"kohlis-rcb-trophy-drought-captaincy-era-without-silverware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/kohlis-rcb-trophy-drought-captaincy-era-without-silverware","title":{"rendered":"Kohli\u2019s RCB trophy drought: captaincy era without silverware"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Virat Kohli\u2019s first stint of roughly 16 years in the IPL was marked by frustration rather than silverware for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He was appointed captain in 2013 and led the side for nine seasons, a stretch widely viewed as his most intense cricketing chapter. Even as he captained India across formats, trophies simply didn\u2019t find their way into his RCB cabinet during that era.<\/p>\n<p>That picture changed after he stepped away from, or was replaced in, various leadership roles. Since then, Kohli has collected four major trophies\u2014two with India, including the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, and two with RCB. Last season, RCB, guided by Rajat Patidar, won the league title for the first time in their history, and on Sunday night at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, they defended it successfully.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Kohli captained RCB starting in 2013 and served for nine years.<\/li>\n<li>He later won four trophies in total: two with India (2024 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy) and two with RCB.<\/li>\n<li>RCB won the league title last season for the first time, under Rajat Patidar.<\/li>\n<li>On Sunday night at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, RCB defended their title.<\/li>\n<li>RCB became the third team to defend an IPL title, after Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019, 2020).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The title defence mattered because RCB joined an elite group. They became the third franchise to repeat as champions in consecutive IPL seasons, following Chennai Super Kings\u2019 back-to-back triumphs in 2010 and 2011, and Mumbai Indians\u2019 success in 2019 and 2020. In that context, Kohli\u2019s journey reads like a shift from being the headline act to becoming the quiet force behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a clear contrast in how Kohli operated during his captaincy compared with later roles. While his cricket brain has always been sharp, his leadership style when he was in charge was often described as extremely demanding. The result, in this telling, was that his teams didn\u2019t quite \u201cplay for him\u201d in the way a captain\u2019s personality can sometimes pull a dressing room together.<\/p>\n<p>When Kohli was removed from full captaincy responsibilities, the dynamic apparently changed. Instead of managing the entire group, he focused on advising the captain. Patidar\u2019s comments this season have highlighted that Kohli\u2019s behind-the-scenes guidance was pivotal to RCB\u2019s success across multiple fronts since the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Importantly, the source of his impact seems to be tied to how his aggression is being channelled. The intensity that once unnerved teammates appears to be directed primarily at the opposition now. That adjustment has created a more productive environment\u2014his inputs are being delivered in the right way, accepted by both Patidar and the team management, and used effectively at the crucial moments.<\/p>\n<h3>From captain\u2019s pressure to opposition\u2019s fear<\/h3>\n<p>Kohli\u2019s value is not restricted to batting, though that remains his most obvious weapon. On Sunday, he surged towards GT\u2019s batters from the infield, underlining how his competitive edge has translated into immediate pressure. The same aggression that once intimidated those around him now seems to be reserved for opponents\u2014making the contest feel like you\u2019re facing two challenges at once: the bowler at one end and Kohli closing in from the other.<\/p>\n<p>That constant pressure has a habit of forcing errors, and on the day, it played its part in shaping the match. Kohli\u2019s batting, meanwhile, hardly needed any pitch-side introduction. Again, he delivered a knock with real authority, steering the innings without being drawn into a passive rhythm.<\/p>\n<p>He looked determined to move quickly towards the target rather than waiting for the situation to come to him. Yet a mini-collapse and a leg injury affected his momentum towards the end. Even so, Kohli stayed there, limped through the difficult phase, and helped RCB close out another trophy\u2014an outcome that, in this framing, separates him from lesser players who might have surrendered after going down with injury.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, it wasn\u2019t just about one performance. It was the blend of controlled aggression, acceptance of his guidance in the right role, and his ability to execute under pressure that defined Kohli\u2019s latest impact\u2014another reminder that he remains a player par excellence, capable of finishing the job even when conditions are far from ideal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virat Kohli\u2019s first stint of roughly 16 years in the IPL was marked by frustration rather than silverware for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He was appointed&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2025: Kohli\u2019s RCB Drought Ends\u2014Captaincy Era Review","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"RCB\u2019s trophy wait is over for Virat Kohli\u2014what changed after his captaincy era, and how IPL 2025 finally broke the silence.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IPL 2025: Kohli\u2019s RCB Drought Ends\u2014Captaincy Era Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"RCB\u2019s trophy wait is over for Virat Kohli\u2014what changed after his captaincy era, and how IPL 2025 finally broke the silence.\" 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