- June 5, 2025
RCB fans, it’s finally over! The long 18-year wait of heartbreak and “so close” moments, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have their first official IPL trophy — and what a ride it was. IPL 2025 was more than just another season of IPL for RCB; it was the story of redemption, resilience, and a team firing on all cylinders. So, what was different? What clicked for this star-studded team that had struggled for years?
Kohli & Salt: The Perfect Blend of Stability and Spark
All championship teams have a rock-solid opening pair, and RCB found their ideal combination in Virat Kohli and Phil Salt. Kohli and Salt were certainly the backbone of RCB’s batting success throughout the season by providing explosive but stable positional starts.
Kohli, the experienced soldier of fortune and ex-RCB captain, had a stunning season. Kohli’s stats scorecard read 657 runs at a tremendous average of 54.75 and an amazing strike rate of 144.7. He was not just scoring runs, he was an influence at the top. Whether there was a need to slowly build an innings, inject bit of pace, or just select his shots, Kohli was able to adjust his game and the speed of the innings when it was required in a way that only a veteran can.
Josh Hazlewood – The Quiet Kill Machine
If the batsman was the platform, then it was Josh Hazlewood who laid the waste to the opposition with the ball. The Australian fast bowler was pivotal for RCB in IPL 2025. In 12 games, he took 22 wickets at the remarkable average of 17.54; a quite remarkable level of consistency. But it is not only about the figures – it is how and when he took the wickets. For instance, in all three sections of the innings, Hazlewood took wickets: 10 in the powerplay, 6 in the middle overs, and 6 in the death. Different!
Clutchable ability to shift his game – swinging the new ball early, an understanding of lines through the middle, and death overs; yorkers and slower ones under pressure made Hazlewood a bona fide match-winner. Hazlewood’s level-headedness allowed RCB’s pace attack a reliable backbone when alongside Bhuvi’s experience of swing variations and Yash Dayal’s variability and left-arm option.
Team Effort – Every Player Stepped Up
IPL 2025 was also a different animal for RCB in terms of a collective effort. It was not just individual players, but the whole group contributed in important moments.
With 312 runs, Captain Rajat Patidar led the way strongly as the great lead-off hitter with two very important fifties. Jitesh Sharma went off in one of the middle-order spots with 85 off 33 balls, and Tim David (before a terrible injury) was incredibly hot as a finisher with an average over 60 and strike rate over 185.
The contributions of several role players like Devdutt Padikkal and Romario Shepherd with valuable runs and wickets were important. CSK felt the full force of a Shepherd stampede—53 off 14 that’ll echo through the tournament. Across the board, this regular contribution by all team members meant RCB did not have to rely on 1 or 2 players. If some players did not play well or were injured, other players were there to be able to come into the team in that scoring role.
So, here’s the biggest question for the cricketing public. With the curse now gone and the momentum working for RCB, will they be able to build a dynasty and dominate IPL seasons to come? Or is this a one-off season that led to something special coming together? Whatever your opinion may be, one thing is true: the IPL 2025 campaign of RCB is a wonderful story about teamwork and resilience that should be celebrated.
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