Royal Challengers Bengaluru are all set to take on Punjab Kings in the final of the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025. Both sides will lock horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3 for a shot at the title. It is worth noting that the upcoming final will be Bengaluru’s fourth.
This will also be their very first IPL title in nine years; they last played the summit clash of the tournament in 2016, where they lost the title to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Furthermore, they played the IPL final in 2009 and 2011 as well, losing to Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings, respectively.
With the must-win clash incoming, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain Rajat Patidar took centre stage and revealed that the entire side will be giving it their all in order to win the title for ace batter Virat Kohli, who has been with the franchise since the inaugural season of the competition.
“Of course. I think he has given a lot of years to RCB and the international side also. We will try to do our best in the game. We are not looking on the stage that we are in the finals. We will try to play our best cricket. We are not playing here for the stage. I always like to keep things simple,” Patidar said in the pre-game press conference.
Kohli, while being the captain of RCB only managed to take the franchise to the final once in 2016. He was present in the side’s losses against Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings in the 2009 and 2011 final as well, and as every year, the wait for a title increase, Patidar and his men are keen to finish the job for Kohli.
Rajat Patidar reflects on leading RCB in IPL 2025
It is interesting to note that 2025 was the first year of Patidar being named RCB’s captain, and having taken the side to the final in his very first year as captain, Patidar will be hoping to end the campaign on a winning note as well.
“Till now, I have enjoyed it (captaincy) a lot to be honest. For me, I think it is a great opportunity to learn from the great leaders of the game, (some) great players, great foreign players of the game. It is a great opportunity for me to learn from them and their different ideas, which is helping me a lot in my leadership role,” he said.