It’s been 17 seasons with no title. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans have grown tired of hearing this. The jibe has kind of become routine. They will play well, win some, but eventually have a few bad games and bow out. It is all kind of routine. Not so in 2025.
All of a sudden, they are in the top two and the victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was yet more reinforcement that things might finally change. All they need to do is win two more games to get that coveted title. Now that they are in the top two, it is just about these two good games. Play at your best in the final two games, and all that you have done in the past is history. RCB and Virat Kohli will know it well. They know they have an opportunity, and need to make it count.
What does this mean for Kohli? Will he now stretch himself that extra bit in the last two games of the IPL? How will Rajat Patidar or Jitesh Sharma push that little more as skipper to get the best out of the players?
First things first – there are far too many instances in sport where legends have not won a particular tournament. Ivan Lendl never won a Wimbledon title, while Cristiano Ronaldo has not won the World Cup. None of this makes them bad players. What it does is make the quest that much more interesting. Will he ever win the IPL is a question that has haunted Kohli and his fans. It will push him more till he succeeds. One week, and it can all change. How does he control this campaign from here on? He has batted quite brilliantly, and been one of the most consistent openers on show. Does RCB need one more miracle knock from Jitesh? While Jitesh and Mayank Agarwal were both very impressive against LSG, RCB fans will hope it wasn’t an aberration.
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Where RCB have to do better against the tournament’s best is in bowling. With Josh Hazlewood not playing the LSG game, they did not seem to have enough resources to keep things under control. And that’s what Andy Flower will have to look into ahead of the Qualifier. What is more important, however, is for Kohli and Flower to identify how and what they need to do in case the openers don’t fire.
That they have been in good form is beyond doubt. At the same time, it is human to have a slip-up, and the truth is that RCB can’t afford it. Those 17 seasons with no title are seen as proof that the franchise does lack something, and it is now the job of the senior pro in Kohli, and coach Flower, to ensure that the opportunity that has presented itself is not wasted.
Time and again, RCB have come close. Year on year, that’s what has kept the fans hopeful. But now, after making the top two, they seem to have found their mojo. A perfect home stretch could mean RCB do get there, to that long-promised land.
If you are an RCB fan, there is every reason to hope. Now more than ever.
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