RCB skipper Patidar hails team's dominance after second straight IPL title in 2026

RCB captain Rajat Patidar led the team to back-to-back IPL titles in 2026, celebrating his birthday with the trophy after a dominant campaign.

Trophy lift on birthday Rajat Patidar walked into the press room in Ahmedabad just after 1am on Monday with the IPL trophy, a broad smile breaking across his face. For someone who rarely reveals much, his demeanor spoke volumes. Occasional glances at the trophy beside him showed the pride of a skipper who had just steered Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to two consecutive championships. The timing added extra joy—it was his 33rd birthday. ## Birthday gift for the ages The feeling was overwhelming. Patidar said, "I'm feeling great… it's a great feeling. It's my birthday. There can't be a better gift than this." He added, "The individual that I am, I always focus on living in the present. We have won back-to-back, we'll celebrate but the focus will be how we can now do this three in a row. When you win trophies, you don't look at individual performances. Nothing is bigger than this." ## 2026 title was a statement When asked to compare the two title-winning campaigns, Patidar pointed to 2026’s dominance in the group stages as its defining feature. He reflected, "Last year was a lot of pressure. [This year] I was more calm. The way we played through the tournament, we didn't just play but we dominated. I was confident if we played like this, we could win the second title for RCB." As captain, he kept emotions in check but acknowledged the support he received. "As a captain, I'm not very expressive, but at the same time I'm aware of game situations. Of course you need backing, there was a lot of it from the management and players." ## Dual roles, double success Patidar worked closely to balance his roles as batter and captain during the season. His off-season batting work with Dinesh Karthik proved crucial—he finished with 501 runs at a strike rate of 192.69, his best returns in a single IPL season since debuting in 2021. He shared, "I took a lot of learnings as captain and batter. I look at how much time I give myself to bat, I spent a lot of time at the nets before the season…just me and the bowlers. There was a lot of communication with DK bhai, regarding my trigger movements and some technical adjustments." ## Captaincy lessons from the best Patidar credited Faf du Plessis for shaping his captaincy approach. "When I came to the IPL, I continued that and was able to execute. That gave a lot of clarity to me as a batter. As captain, I learnt a lot of Faf du Plessis, how he presents himself, how his body language is always confident. That has taught me a lot." He also reserved high praise for Omkar Salvi’s bowling coaching, especially for younger talents like Rasikh Salam, who took 19 wickets—second only to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. ## Salvi’s silent influence Patidar spoke at length about Omkar Salvi’s behind-the-scenes impact. "I've seen Omkar Salvi sir from my first Ranji season [in 2015]. He spends lot of time one-on-one with every bowler. There is a lot of hard work that Salvi sir has done for the team. You won't see him in the meeting room, he spends time one-on-one with the bowlers." He described Salvi’s mentorship as pivotal for the squad’s bowling success. ## Flower’s player-first approach The captain also highlighted Andy Flower’s coaching philosophy. "I've played five seasons of the IPL and he is one of the best coaches. The way he handles players, not only those who play. For him the players who aren't playing, the first-timers, he spends a lot of time with every individual. I don't have words to express, but he's the best coach I've played under." Flower’s emphasis on treating all players equally was noted as a transformative change in team culture. ## A changed team culture Patidar reflected on the evolving mindset within RCB. "The [team] culture has changed. I don't know what it was before 2021. But from when I've come in, there have been a lot of changes in the mindset of players. All credit to the coaching staff, the way they've been handling the players. Especially the new players who are also an important part of the team. The coaching staff treats every player equally - that's a big change." ## A moment of reflection Amidst the celebration, Patidar paused to honor the lives lost after RCB’s first title in 2025, when 11 fans died in a stadium stampede during the celebrations. He said, "You feel bad obviously, you lost your fans after winning the game…not fans, family members, so I want to dedicate this trophy to them. No words to express."