WATCH: Ravichandran Ashwin picks TOP five figures responsible for RCB’s second title triumph, they are…

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) created history by winning two IPL titles in a row. They successfully defended their trophy in IPL 2026 and became only the third team to achieve this feat.

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a big role in RCB’s success on the field. At the same time, many people behind the scenes also helped the team perform well throughout the season.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

Ashwin credits five key figures behind RCB’s IPL 2026 triumph

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently named five people who, according to him, were very important to RCB’s title-winning campaign. Ashwin also praised Virat Kohli and said that despite being one of the biggest stars in the team, he always put the team’s needs first and worked hard for the franchise’s success.

“RCB can even go on to achieve a three-peat. GT [Gujarat Titans] can be extremely proud of themselves, but for this run chase, I want to credit five people: Andy Flower, Mo Bobat, Dinesh Karthik and his support staff, Rajat Patidar, and Virat Kohli,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“The way Virat Kohli took a backseat-he went to the back of the queue and allowed Rajat to lead, becoming a mentor and a big brother to the team… despite being the ultimate alpha, he still did this. Royal Challengers Bengaluru has been a heartbeat for Virat Kohli. For 17 or 18 years, they didn’t win a single trophy. This has given all of us a wonderful lesson through the sport and through the IPL: you might not win for 17 years, regardless of how hard you work. But when the opportunity to win arrived in the 18th year, they went all the way and won it. Then in the 19th year, they were the defending champions and successfully became defending champions once again. Now, a hat-trick of titles is also entirely possible if they have a bit of luck,” he added.

“Andy Flower builds a great squad wherever he goes. In every team, he picks a reliable defensive bowling option, a quality wrist-spinner, and a good variety of fast bowlers, some who can swing the ball and others who can hit the deck hard. His template has remained completely consistent. If anyone wants to understand how to achieve success, just look at the way Andy Flower has managed teams, whether it’s the Trent Rockets or anywhere else he goes; he sets up the squad the exact same way. Mo Bobat has collaborated with the backroom staff to build a team where Dinesh Karthik brings the local knowledge. If you remember, it is not only the men’s team; the RCB franchise has simultaneously defended both their women’s title and their men’s title. Four trophies in a matter of two years. It’s not easy. It is quite amazing, and no amount of praise for these two would be enough,” Ashwin concluded.