Sunday saw Venakatesh Iyer speak highly of captain Rajat Patidar once RCB lifted the IPL trophy again in Ahmedabad. Not long ago, this franchise broke an 18-year wait with their first win; now they’ve doubled down. Their path led through Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans in the final showdown of 2026. Gujarat managed just 155 runs for eight wickets across twenty overs under tight bowling pressure. What followed? A chase smoothed by Virat Kohli, whose 75 not out carried them home early – five wickets lost, two overs untouched.
After winning the trophy, Venkatesh Iyer praised Patidar’s leadership during a chat with NDTV’s Boria Majumdar. These two happen to play together for Madhya Pradesh in local cricket matches.
Funny how things turn out – Patidar’s potential was clear to the MP crew from early on, Iyer pointed out. They never doubted he’d rise once given the chance.
Wow. He pulled off something most thought impossible. A while ago, I doubted it too – now impressed by how he handled every moment out there. Not a question of whether anymore. Just timing. Bound to come together eventually. This isn’t just my opinion from 2021-22 or so. Back in 2016-17, during my early Ranji Trophy years, it was what everyone on the MP team believed – same as me,” said Iyer.
This man was never cut out for this level. Top tier stuff, really. Bigger stages suit him best. Even when his Ranji numbers were quiet – think way back ten winters ago – we kept wondering, Why isn’t he wearing blue every game? Clear signs, plain to see. Well then, here we are. Better late than never – rewards do catch up with those who wait
Fans saw Patidar rise fast when Bengaluru sealed victory, joining rare ranks among leaders who claimed two straight IPL crowns.
Back-to-back wins came to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and then again the following year. Mumbai Indians reached that same mark much later, guided by Rohit Sharma, first in 2019 before repeating it one year on.
“Last year was a lot of pressure, this year was more calm because the way we played throughout the tournament, we dominated this year. So we were pretty much confident that if we are playing like this we are definitely going to win the second title for RCB,”
said Patidar.
