It’s not easy being a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fan. For all the trolling that the franchise gets for not winning the IPL trophy, it might seem that they had never even come close. But the truth is far from that. RCB have qualified for the playoffs multiple times in the last few years, but has fallen short thereafter.
There is almost a pattern to their performances. Some brilliant games and then some equally baffling downers. From ecstasy to agony in no time. And yet, the fans have stayed steadfast.
As Rajesh Menon, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), suggested, “Two decades back, it wasn’t the same India. People were still with joint families and not many would choose alien domains to make a life for themselves. There was a safety net. This is a new India. An aspirational India where people have come out of the safety net and are keen to experiment. Ready to take bold calls. Embrace failure if need be. It is for them that RCB have coined the term ‘Play Bold’. You might lose or you might face a few hurdles, but you continue to play bold. I think this is what has resonated with many across the country. And yes, we have come close multiple times. If you are consistent, you will eventually get there as well.”
How will things unfold tonight? Will it be RCB who make it to the final beating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in new Chandigarh? Will Virat Kohli get one step closer to the IPL title? Will his fans start to paint Bengaluru red?
We saw a different RCB against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last game. When Kohli was out after playing a stellar hand, not many gave RCB a chance. Remember that they were chasing 228 for victory. Jitesh Sharma, stand-in skipper, played the innings of his life, and against all odds, won them the match. That helped them to second position in the points table. Michael Clarke, who was commentating, couldn’t stop raving about RCB. “They were just awesome,” he kept saying.
For More Sports Related Content Click Here
It is that win against LSG that could give RCB much-needed momentum. The body language had changed by the end of the match and the fearlessness could be seen – fearlessness, not unnecessary aggression. That overused word, “intent”, could be seen in the players. They know they must win every match hereon, and they seem hungry. Cricket is a game of momentum. You win close matches when you have the momentum of victories behind you, because you are calmer in pressure situations.
For every RCB fan, seeing how they won the last game, there is reason to feel optimistic. The hope that RCB can finally conquer the peak, and 2025 is all about “E saala cup Namde [This year, the cup is ours]!”
To go back to Rajesh Menon once more, “The fans, as I have alluded to earlier, are our life blood and they will always be part of the brand. Whichever part of the country you are in, you will stay an RCB fan if you are one. And the idea is to keep growing this constituency in the next five years. We want to create 300 touchpoints in 300 Indian districts in the next few years, and that’s how you can make the brand universal.”
A win tonight will help accelerate that process.