NEW DELHI: Two seasons ago, it looked like Royal Challengers Bengaluru\u2019s long wait might stretch forever after they were knocked out in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals. Fans walked out of the venue with tears in their eyes then\u2014and many did the same \u201clast night\u201d once again, only this time the emotion swung the other way. The Bengaluru franchise have now written a different ending to their story: they successfully defended their title by beating Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening, sealing another IPL championship and cementing their reign. The turnaround has been unmistakable, because this time it hasn\u2019t been about one spell or one hero\u2014it has been a full-team pattern that has repeatedly unsettled opponents. In a season where every other franchise found Rajat Patidar\u2019s side hard to contain, RCB turned consistency into dominance.<\/p>\n
RCB\u2019s campaign delivered 11 wins in total, including nine victories in the league phase, plus triumphs in Qualifier 1 and the final. From the way they approached matches to the way they handled pressure moments, there was a clear message that this wasn\u2019t just about defending a trophy\u2014it was about chasing another one, just as their captain Patidar had said ahead of the tournament. Their attacking intent stayed visible throughout, with Patidar setting the tone as the skipper who struck the most sixes for RCB this season, registering 42. Virat Kohli, as ever, remained central to the batting plan, finishing as the franchise\u2019s leading run-getter once again.<\/p>\n
On the bowling front, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Suyash Sharma, and Jacob Duffy all played meaningful roles as the season moved forward. Krunal Pandya and Venkatesh Iyer added extra dimensions with their all-round impact, ensuring RCB\u2019s overall balance kept improving match by match. In the end, it was the kind of \u201ceveryone contributes\u201d performance that RCB appeared to build for from the outset.<\/p>\n
RCB in IPL 2026: 11 Wins, 5 Losses<\/p>\n
RCB began their title defence in Bengaluru with a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. They secured a comfortable victory by six wickets and then followed it up with another win against Chennai Super Kings. Their first setback arrived against Rajasthan Royals, when Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stole the spotlight. Yet momentum was not lost. RCB bounced back with consecutive wins over Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, before suffering a defeat to Delhi Capitals.<\/p>\n
From there, they regained control quickly, putting together back-to-back victories against Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. After the early portion of the tournament, RCB faced consecutive losses for the first time in the season\u2014first against Gujarat Titans and then against Lucknow Super Giants. The response, however, was immediate and emphatic: they beat Mumbai Indians in a last-ball finish, driven by Krunal Pandya\u2019s scorching 73, one of the defining knocks of his IPL career. The side carried that momentum into the next stretch, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings as well.<\/p>\n
RCB then endured their biggest defeat of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but they recovered with rapid precision. They won back-to-back matches against Gujarat Titans\u2014first in Qualifier 1 and then again in the final\u2014to complete the defence and lift the trophy once more.<\/p>\n
Batting dominance not dependent on Virat alone<\/p>\n
RCB have sometimes leaned too heavily on Virat Kohli in the past, with the team\u2019s fortunes frequently tied to whether he could anchor the innings. This year, that reliance was noticeably reduced. The batting unit operated as a collective force, giving RCB depth and confidence even when the pressure rose. Kohli finished with 675 runs, while captain Rajat Patidar led the charge from the top with 501. Devdutt Padikkal provided strong support, contributing 464 runs. In the middle, Tim David and Krunal Pandya reinforced the structure with 305 and 226 runs respectively, ensuring RCB could keep scoring without depending on a single individual to carry the innings.<\/p>\n
Bowling masterclass<\/p>\n
With Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, RCB continued to make life difficult for opposition batters throughout the campaign. Whenever Hazlewood wasn\u2019t available, Jacob Duffy stepped in and helped spearhead the pace attack alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam Dar. Along with Krunal Pandya, every bowler bought wickets at the right times \u2014 the moments when matches can flip quickly. Overall, RCB took 104 wickets during the season, with Bhuvneshwar finishing as the leading wicket-taker for the franchise with 28. The key was that bowling contributions weren\u2019t confined to one or two overs; they arrived consistently, making the entire unit feel like a single machine.<\/p>\n
IPL 2026: RCB Report Card<\/p>\n
RCB\u2019s successful title defence in IPL 2026 came through a blend of star performances and role clarity across the squad.<\/p>\n
Virat Kohli led from the front with 675 runs in 16 innings, striking at 165.85 and averaging 56.25\u2014proof that he remains the spine of the franchise\u2019s batting identity. Captain Rajat Patidar elevated both his leadership and his own output, scoring 501 runs. His most explosive moment arrived in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans, where he smashed an unbeaten 93 off 33 balls to push RCB into the final.<\/p>\n
Bhuvneshwar Kumar spearheaded the bowling as well, taking 28 wickets in 16 matches. His spellwork combined tight control and swing, and he also chipped in when RCB needed lower-order runs. Krunal Pandya continued his \u201csilent hero\u201d reputation, adding 226 runs and taking 14 wickets. That all-round balance made him the first player in franchise history to post the 200-run and 10-wicket double in a single season.<\/p>\n
Not every storyline stayed the same throughout the year. Phil Salt suffered an injury midway through the season, which opened the door for Jacob Bethell. Bethell appeared in seven innings, but couldn\u2019t quite reproduce the form that had made him stand out earlier, including during the T20 World Cup. RCB also gave Venkatesh Iyer an opportunity, and while his chances were limited, the impact was large\u2014he scored 209 runs in just six innings at a strike rate of 186.61. His crucial playoff and final contributions played a significant part in RCB\u2019s march toward back-to-back trophies.<\/p>\n
Duffy stepped up whenever Hazlewood was absent, and his performances impressed enough that RCB chose to use both Duffy and Hazlewood during the playoffs. Rasikh Salam Dar complemented Bhuvneshwar effectively, ending the season with 19 wickets. Suyash Sharma\u2019s run was more uneven, but he remained economical and finished with nine wickets.<\/p>\n
Top Bowlers (RCB)<\/p>\n
Top Batters (RCB)<\/p>\n
What\u2019s Next for RCB?<\/p>\n
With the defence completed, RCB\u2019s attention now turns to the IPL 2027 Mega Auction, where the biggest challenge will be keeping the core of a squad that has delivered back-to-back championships. That will involve tough calls even if certain players are expected to be retained automatically, including Kohli, Patidar, and Padikkal. Keeping key bowlers like Bhuvneshwar and Dar will be another priority, while the franchise will also need a long-term plan to identify emerging Indian batting talent who could eventually step into Kohli\u2019s role.<\/p>\n
There is also the overseas dimension. RCB will look at ways to bring back players such as Hazlewood, Salt, and Tim, whose value is likely to rise even further after their contributions to consecutive title-winning campaigns. At the same time, the team may have to make difficult decisions regarding players including Bethell and Romario, who struggled through parts of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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