RCB in IPL 2026: A racy sequel to the maiden blockbuster

Season at a glance: Amidst title celebrations in Ahmedabad, Virat Kohli summed up RCB of 2026: "I feel so happy to play in a season where we have balance, we have strength and we are an all-round strong team."

362 days after breaking down at the same venue in 2025, Kohli chased with an air of inevitability as RCB defended their title. They played at their opposition's home and out-thought them at every step. RCB carried the reputation of being an all-condition, all-situation, all-conquering team, securing wins at home (4 out of 5 in Bengaluru, 2 out of 2 in Raipur).

RCB were the best team in the league, dominant in Q1 and stronger in the final. Their pacers dominated Powerplay and death overs. Kohli accumulated 675 runs at his best-ever strike rate (165.84), Rajat Patidar got his first 500-run season (strike rate 192.69), and Krunal Pandya enjoyed his first 200-plus run season since 2018 while also taking 14 wickets.

Player of the season: Bhuvneshwar Kumar rolled back the years with a career-best 28 wickets. In a season of young batters treating reputations with indifference, the 36-year-old veteran offered a refreshing antidote. His vicious inswinging yorker to floor Sahil Parakh's middle stump was a ball-of-the-tournament contender. He delivered in the playoffs too: 2-28 in Qualifier 1 and 2-29 in the final. He also hit a six.

A stat that adds up: RCB became only the third team after MI (2019 & 2020) and Gujarat Titans (2022 & 2023) to follow a title win with a table-topping league stage.

A mini-auction pick that…

• Looked a million bucks: Venkatesh Iyer (₹7 crore) bided his time but fit RCB's top-order like a glove. He scored 73* (40) from No.4 against PBKS to secure playoffs, then a 19-ball 44 opening with Kohli against SRH. In the final, his 16-ball 32 dimmed GT's hopes. He finished with 209 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 186.60.

• Didn't work out: None. Only Venkatesh and Jacob Duffy got game time among eight mini-auction buys. Duffy took 9 wickets in 6 innings.

Best match of the season: Where Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit a six – his first IPL six since 2016. It came on the fourth ball of a final-over chase that dumped out Mumbai Indians. After taking 4/23 to restrict MI to 166/7, Bhuvneshwar walked out with 9 needed off 3 balls. He sent Raj Bawa's wide yorker over deep cover, making it 3 off 2, and RCB won off the last ball. This came after Virat Kohli's second successive duck and a top-order slide, before Krunal Pandya's game-turning 73 off 46 while battling cramps.

On a scale of 1-10: A perfect 10.