Rajat Patidar said he wants to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) achieve an unprecedented hat-trick of IPL titles. On Sunday, RCB successfully defended their crown with a five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final, joining Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as the only teams to win back-to-back titles.
While CSK and MI have won five IPL trophies each, no franchise has ever claimed three consecutive titles. Patidar now hopes to guide RCB to that historic milestone and take the franchise to even greater heights. The RCB skipper lifted his second IPL trophy on the eve of his 33rd birthday.
“It feels great, and it’s a special birthday gift for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better present. While I’m delighted with the achievement, I always try to stay focused on the present. We won in 2025 and again in 2026, and we’ll certainly celebrate this success. But our focus will soon shift to how we can make it three titles in a row,” Patidar said in the post-match press conference.
‘LOT MORE PRESSURE IN 2025’
Until 2024, RCB had not won a single IPL title and were often regarded as one of the biggest underachievers in the tournament’s history despite having some of the world’s best players in their ranks.
That changed in 2025 when Rajat Patidar led the franchise to its maiden IPL crown with a victory over Punjab Kings in the final. RCB then successfully defended the title in 2026, cementing their status as one of the league’s dominant teams.
Patidar said the team felt less pressure in 2026 because of the way it performed throughout the tournament. He added that his calm leadership style, combined with strong support from the management and his teammates, played a crucial role in RCB’s successful title defence.
“To be honest, compared to this year, there was a lot more pressure in 2025. This season was much calmer because of the way we played throughout the tournament. We didn’t just play well; we dominated. That gave us confidence that if we continued performing at that level, we would win a second title for RCB,” Patidar said.
“My style of captaincy is different. I’m not very expressive, but I’m always aware of the game situation. At the same time, having the backing of the management and the players was extremely important. Their support gave me a lot of confidence throughout the campaign,” Patidar added.
Patidar not only impressed with his captaincy but also made significant contributions with the bat. In 15 matches, he scored 501 runs at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69, including a blistering 93 off just 33 balls against the Titans in Qualifier 1.
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