former indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin He named five individuals who he believes played the biggest role in the success of Royal Challengers Bangalore, with Virat Kohli's name prominently featured because of the sacrifices he has made despite being an 'alpha' personality. RCB became the third franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League to successfully defend its title by winning back-to-back championships in the 2026 season.
While players like Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar served as key pillars of the team, many others made invaluable contributions behind the scenes to help grow the Bengaluru-based franchise to its current stature. Impressed by the team's culture and consistency, Ashwin said he would not be surprised if RCB wins a third consecutive IPL title, and highlighted the strong foundation the franchise has built in recent years.
“RCB can also go on to achieve a three-peat. GT [Gujarat Titans] “Can be extremely proud of myself, but for this run chase, I want to give credit to five people: Andy Flower, Mo Bobt, Dinesh Karthik and his support staff, Rajat Patidar, and Virat Kohli,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
It cannot be denied to what extent Kohli remains in the headlines. No matter which team he represents, he remains the center of attention, yet rarely lets the burden of expectations impact his performances. At RCB, however, Kohli took a step back and handed over the leadership role to Rajat Patidar after the departure of Faf du Plessis. Ravichandran Ashwin was particularly impressed by Kohli's willingness to put the interests of the team above his own stature.
Ashwin said, “The way Virat Kohli stepped back – he went to the back of the queue and allowed Rajat to lead, became a mentor and a big brother to the team… despite being the ultimate alpha, he still did that. Royal Challengers Bangalore has been a heartthrob for Virat Kohli. For 17 or 18 years, he has not won a single trophy.”
“It has taught all of us a wonderful lesson through the game and through the IPL: You can't win for 17 years, no matter how hard you work. But when the opportunity to win came in the 18th year, they tried everything possible and won it. Then in the 19th year, they were the defending champions and once again successfully became the defending champions. Now, a hat-trick of titles is also completely possible, if they have a bit of luck.”
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