Ahmedabad, June 5: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) secured their first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) championship after 18 years of near misses, with captain Rajat Patidar leading the team to a historic victory on Tuesday.
As the jubilant RCB fans erupted in celebration, Patidar declared, “Ee Sala Cup Namdu” (This year, the cup is ours), while also praising former captain Virat Kohli, saying the star batsman “deserves it more than anyone else.”
“It is really special for me, for Virat Kohli, and for all the fans who’ve stood by us over the years. They all deserve this,” Patidar told reporters after the final.
Patidar described the 190-run total posted by RCB as competitive on a “slightly sluggish” pitch and commended the bowling unit for executing plans effectively. He singled out Krunal Pandya, who earned the Player of the Match award for his match-turning spell of 2 wickets for 17 runs, as a key figure in their triumph.
“Krunal is a wicket-taking bowler. I always turn to him when we need breakthroughs,” Patidar said. He also praised pacers Suyash and Shepherd for their strong performances throughout the season.
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, whose team finished runners-up, acknowledged the impact of fearless newcomers who made their debut this season. Despite the defeat, Iyer expressed optimism about the team’s prospects, saying, “The job’s only half done. We have to win it next year.”
Iyer added that the experience gained by the young players would be crucial going forward and agreed that anything under 200 was a par total on the pitch.
“Krunal used his experience brilliantly; that proved to be the turning point of the match,” Iyer said. RCB’s long-awaited triumph marks a significant milestone for the franchise and caps off a season of strong team performances led by a blend of seasoned players and emerging talent
