Virat, skipper Patidar hoist stars after successful IPL title defence

BENGALURU: Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar have got the fans counting stars again as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) completed back-to-back Indian Premier League (IPL) title wins.

In a now-viral image, cricket icon Virat and captain Rajat are seen hoisting giant golden stars above their heads as celebrations continue following Bengaluru’s second successive IPL title. Shared after Sunday’s commanding final victory over Gujarat, the image quickly struck a chord across social media, with each star representing a championship triumph and capturing the significance of another historic season.

The team’s kit sponsor, Puma, celebrated the title win with a visual titled, “Good Things Come in Pairs”. With back-to-back IPL titles and two Women’s Premier League crowns, the Bengaluru-based franchise has established itself as one of the defining forces in Indian cricket.

We made RCB read your tweets… (nice ones) @RCBTweets #PUMAxRCB pic.twitter.com/NaMj6Rz4rJ

— PUMA Cricket (@pumacricket) April 13, 2026

Put to bat first by RCB, GT scored just 155/8 in 20 overs, with Washington Sundar (50* in 37 balls, with five fours) and Nishant Sindhu (20 in 18 balls, with three fours) being the only one to cross the 20-run mark. Rasikh Dar Salam (3/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) took wickets regularly.

RCB started off well with a 62-run stand between Venkatesh Iyer (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Virat Kohli. GT showed some fight, reducing RCB to 132/5 at one point, but Virat (75* in 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) guided RCB to a win with two overs left.

This is RCB’s second IPL title win and overall their fourth Indian franchise cricket trophy, including two Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles. (ANI)