The making of the champion RCB outfit

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's collective effort, led by unexpected heroes, breaks the barren run in IPL 2025.

For far too long, Royal Challengers Bengaluru relied on star power to get the job done. The likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Kevin Pietersen and Virat Kohli did provide their share of entertainment, but as a collective, RCB could not come together to realise the dream.

This time around, there were heroes in every position - evidenced by nine players claiming the ‘Player of the Match’ award this season. Some of the names on this list - Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Suyash Sharma - far exceeded expectations.

At 34, Krunal had a dream tournament, culminating with an exceptional performance in the final against  Punjab Kings here on Tuesday. His tight spell took all the momentum out of the PBKS chase.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh revelled in the role of a finisher, the highlight coming in an unbeaten 33-ball 85 against Lucknow Super Giants. Legspinner Suyash, batter Tim David and Romario Shepherd, who took the match-winning wicket of Shreyas Iyer in the summit clash, ensured that the RCB eleven is stacked with match-winners.

At the end of IPL 2025 auctions, there were concerns that the franchise was too conservative with the bids. The first day went without much fanfare, while value for money signings were made on the following day. As it turned out, the team management — head coach Andy Flower, Director of Cricket Mo Bobat and mentor Dinesh Karthik — got it right. A cohesive unit was the order of the day, a task achieved with foresight.

The early part of the campaign brought on-field challenges. After three straight losses at home, due in large part to RCB being inserted in to bat on a tricky M. Chinnaswamy Stadium surface, the turnaround came in an 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals. From here, there would no stopping the side from comfortably reaching the playoffs stage.

The star, Kohli, was not left behind. With eight fifties and an average of 54.75, Kohli did his bit at the top of the order. The big-hitting was primarily left to his partner Phil Salt, but Kohli’s steady presence meant that opponents stayed nervy.