17 years on…the elusive IPL trophy…Kohli’s star-crossed journey with RCB: Will a new captain for the side change fortunes now?

The new captain, Rajat Patidar, is expected to give a new direction and mentor the team to that dream finish

HYDERABAD: One of the all-time greats, Virat Kohli, should be desperately looking forward to holding aloft the IPL trophy!

Well, for someone who was part of some of India’s most famous triumphs, including the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup, 2024 T-20 World Cup and 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Kohli’s hunger to script a new chapter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru can be one of the defining factors for its campaign this season.

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RCB often had some of the explosive hitters in the line-up over the years, but somehow failed to clinch the trophy, which remained elusive for the team so far in the IPL.
Interestingly, some die-hard fans have already suggested that this being Season 18, the same number as that of the great Kohli’s jersey, will luck finally smile on RCB?

A new captain, Rajat Patidar, is expected to give a new direction and mentor the team to that dream finish.

For the record, RCB staged a terrific comeback last season, winning six consecutive games to finish in the top four and qualify for the play-offs.

In the mega auction, RCB chose not to use the Right To Match (RTM) for two core players, India pacer Mohd Siraj and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.

But, preferred to rope in the Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, hard-hitting Phil Salt, who played a key role in KKR winning the trophy last season.

The presence of big guns like Liam Livingstone, Tim David, India’s very own Krunal Pandya, and West Indian Romario Shepherd should give the desired options for RCB on any given day and make it a team to beat.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma was another big signing for RCB this season, and the seasoned campaigner and swing merchant Bhuvneshwar Kumar too is back in the RCB fold and likely to share the new ball with Hazlewood, Lungi Ngidi and Yash Dayal.