NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successful IPL title defence drew praise from across the sporting world, with England football captain Harry Kane joining the chorus of congratulatory messages after RCB’s triumph over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final. Kane took to Instagram Stories to applaud Virat Kohli and RCB following their five-wicket victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.“What a player and what a knock @virat.kohli! Congrats @royalchallengers.bengaluru on making it back to back IPL titles,” Kane wrote.RCB, who ended their 18-year wait for a maiden IPL trophy in 2025, successfully defended their crown a year later with another dominant campaign. Their latest triumph made them only the third franchise in IPL history, after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, to win back-to-back titles.The victory also saw Rajat Patidar enter an elite list of captains. The RCB skipper became only the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to lead a team to consecutive IPL titles.Kohli once again played a pivotal role in the title-winning campaign, signing off in style with an unbeaten 75 in the final. Patidar, who scored more than 500 runs during the season, credited Kohli not only for helping him improve technically but also for being a constant source of support for younger players in the squad.
“The way I look at my batting, I try to work on where I can improve, against pacers especially. I got a lot of ideas and help from Kohli bhai. Whenever I see him, he’s always there for the team and all players. He goes to the young players even if they’re nervous approaching him,” Patidar said.Reflecting on his second IPL title as captain, Patidar admitted memories from last year’s historic triumph came flooding back as he walked into the stadium but stressed the team’s focus remained firmly on the present.“It feels superb. There were a lot of memories from last year but we had to stay in the present. Don’t have words to express but feeling good,” he said.Patidar revealed that RCB’s plans were clear after assessing the conditions, with the team backing itself to chase.“Plan was clear, it was easier to chase. We wanted to get their top-three. Our bowlers throughout the tournament have been superb. Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), (Josh) Hazlewood, Rasikh (Dar), Krunal (Pandya), Sheppie (Romario Shepherd), all have been superb,” Patidar said.