From unattainable to inevitable: Rajat Patidar leads new-age RCB to back-to-back IPL titles, beat GT in final
RCB won consecutive IPL titles under Rajat Patidar after shifting to a balanced squad and stronger bowling, with Gujarat Titans held to 155 in the final.
- On the night of the IPL 2026 final, Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans with 12 balls remaining to secure back-to-back titles, becoming only the third team to win consecutive championships.
- Rajat Patidar accepted RCB captaincy after leading Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, following a franchise offer at the end of the 2024 season.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Rasikh Salam Dar restricted Gujarat Titans to 155 runs, while Virat Kohli scored 75 off 42 balls and Washington Sundar added 50 off 37 balls in the chase.
- Bengaluru transformed its strategy in 2025 by prioritizing a stable middle order and strong bowling unit, which proved vital to winning consecutive championships and ending years of title droughts.
- Under Patidar's leadership, what once looked unattainable for Kohli and the team became inevitable, as the franchise moved past the misery of three previous final losses.
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15 Articles
Rajat Patidar not done yet, wants RCB to script IPL hat-trick history
Rajat Patidar said he wants to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru achieve an unprecedented hat-trick of IPL titles. On Sunday, RCB became only the third franchise in tournament history to win back-to-back championships, but no team has ever gone on to win three titles in a row.
Feels superb: Rajat Patidar after leading RCB to back-to-back IPL titles - The Tribune
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar expressed his delight after leading the side to their second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) title win as they defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the final of the 2026 season, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
RCB Win IPL 2026; Becomes Third Franchise After CSK and MI To Lift Back-To-Back Titles | 🏏 LatestLY
Led by captain Rajat Patidar, RCB chased down a target of 156 with ease in RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final, becoming only the third franchise in IPL history to win back-to-back titles, matching the historic feats of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. 🏏 RCB Win IPL 2026; Becomes Third Franchise After CSK and MI To Lift Back-To-Back Titles.
From unattainable to inevitable: Rajat Patidar leads new-age RCB to back-to-back IPL titles, beat GT in final
2009, 2011, 2016 - RCB’s years of agony. Three times the team from Bengaluru qualified for the final and on each occasion, the night ended in misery. Yet, they kept fighting, but nothing worked. With frustration and a hope for a better future, Virat Kohli eventually relinquished captaincy in the 2021 season. That move didn’t work either. In 2025, things finally changed. RCB appointed Rajat Patidar as captain and, most importantly, focused on an …
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