How Royal Challengers Bengaluru unlocked the winning code

Ahmedabad: Tears of joy, relief and spent emotion flowed freely here as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally shrugged off the Himalayan weight on their shoulders, one that had built steadily over 6,255 days. That’s how long it took RCB to win their maiden IPL trophy.

When Rajat Patidar - anointed captain this season - lifted the elusive trophy after a clinical six-run win over Punjab Kings, it capped a journey of painstaking planning which began at the mega auction last year. It started on a drawing board in a backroom with Mo Bobat, director of cricket, and head coach Andy Flower, a former player-turned-coach with a reputation of building teams on individual potential and translating it into team success.

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Striking a balance

Bobat and Flower began with only three retentions: Virat Kohli, Patidar and Yash Dayal. It didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in their legion of loyal fans but the two appeared to have a ringside view of the future. They meticulously built a side to tackle all conditions. The focus was on ensuring a mixture of international experience and Indian expertise.


The batting side of the equation was built around Kohli. He was allied with Phil Salt at the top of the order with Devdutt Padikkal, Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Tim David and Romario Shepherd among the support cast.


Bowling was RCB’s Achilles heel over the years, but Bobat and Flower addressed that half by roping in a pace battery which included Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Lungi Ngidi besides Dayal. Interestingly, the spin department was handled by Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma.

Patidar to the fore

Once they had the team they wanted, the captaincy issue cropped up. Having let go of Faf du Plessis and with Kohli refusing the armband again, they turned to Patidar, who was being groomed for the job from the previous season.


As a captain, Patidar was both inexperienced and understated, but nonetheless a man who knew the job. “I think one of the most impressive things about what Rajat’s done this year is, as an inexperienced captain, he hasn’t been affected by it,” said Flower. “I’ve watched him closely as a character. He is still the lovely, gentle, polite Rajat Patidar that we knew last year.”


Regardless, the choice was met with disbelief and, perhaps, not a little disappointment from fans who expected Kohli to be back in the saddle. Flower admitted: “Captaining RCB is a really tricky job. I’ve got tremendous respect for how Rajat has held himself with all that scrutiny. And captaining some big players. You can’t underestimate the calmness that he showed in leading big players. I’m proud of the way he’s carried himself.”

Winning away matches

There were early signs that Patidar’s team had the potential to be champions when they handed defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders a sevenwicket defeat in their den. In less than a week, they were in Chennai taming the Super Kings. The dream turned a shade grey with they lost to Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals at home, but in the intervening period they had ambushed Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium.

Tiding over testing times

Yet, those were only initial signs. They went from strength to strength, winning five of their last seven league fixtures and losing only one. The other game was a washout. The wins came despite injuries to Patidar, Hazlewood and Salt’s illness, a remarkable testimony to the strength of their bench.

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Thereafter, there was no looking back, until the lights went out at the Modi stadium on Tuesday night. The spotlight now shines brightly on the newly-crowned champions.