No one-man show: How RCB became a complete unit

TimesofIndia.com in Dharamsala: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) journey into back-to-back IPL finals has not been driven by a single superstar season or a one-man rescue act. For years, RCB were defined by individuals, a franchise with giant names and giant expectations. Since last year's title run, they increasingly look like a side with a recognisable personality, one defined by a team, not individuals. And Mo Bobat, RCB's director of cricket, says that their identity mirrors the man leading them: Rajat Patidar.

A captain is calm away from the field and aggressive on it. RCB seem to have adopted that same rhythm. On Tuesday, riding on Rajat Patidar's blistering unbeaten 93 of 33 balls, RCB hammered Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in the Qualifier 1 and booked their place in the title match.




Speaking after the match, Bobat pointed to a feature he believes separates this RCB side from those in the past: contribution spread across the dressing room rather than dependence on a handful of players.

"We are obviously pleased that we've got a number of people contributing to wins," Bobat said. "We're not too dependent on one or two players with the bat or one or two with the ball. We've got a number of people contributing."

That, more than the results, appears to be the core of RCB's transformation. Their campaign has been built on multiple hands carrying the load. Batters have stepped up at different moments, bowlers have delivered under pressure, and the burden has not consistently fallen on one shoulder.

Bobat suggested it is not a recent development either.

"It was a pattern of the way we played last year. We had a number of guys who stood up with the bat and the ball. And you need that to go far in competitions."

RCB's identity, according to Bobat, is also rooted in a specific approach: fearless intent.

"And we've tried really hard over the last couple of years to let that be the identity of our team," he said. "We want to score runs aggressively and we want to take wickets, particularly early in the innings."

The interesting part is how closely that philosophy reflects on Patidar himself.

The RCB captain has become one of the defining stories of this season. His batting has been proactive and uncomplicated, a style based on attacking instincts rather than survival. In pressure games, he has looked unfazed, trusting his methods and forcing bowlers onto the defensive.

Against GT in the first qualifier, he produced an inning that Bobat called "special".

"He's certainly batting brilliantly right now and he has done throughout the whole competition," Bobat said. "I'm sure he'll be really pleased about being able to stand up in a big qualifier and a big game."

For Bobat, a captain performing at the top of his game naturally elevates the mood of the dressing room.

Patidar's influence, however, appears to extend beyond numbers. The 32-year-old is not a captain consumed by constant intervention. Bobat highlighted his ability to preserve energy and maintain clarity.

"He keeps things pretty simple," Bobat said. "He's somebody that wants to focus on doing his job when he gets on the field. He's pretty relaxed when everything's off the field. He's very good at managing his own energy."

That simplicity has perhaps become visible in the team itself. There is visible aggression in RCB's cricket, but very little panic. They attack, but without appearing rushed.

Even Patidar's batting evolution reflects that mindset. Bobat jokingly recalled calling him a "spin basher" last season, a label Patidar apparently did not appreciate.


"I think he got quite annoyed with me," Bobat laughed. "I was implying that it was only spin."

This season, Patidar has worked on broadening his game and particularly his effectiveness against pace. Patidar has hit 41 sixes in this year's IPL, with 27 of them coming against fast bowlers.

"He's worked very hard on his game. He works incredibly hard with both DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy (Flower)," Bobat said.

More importantly, Bobat believes the basics have always been there.

"One of the things about Rajat is he tends to middle the ball quite often. Whether he's facing pace bowling, spin bowling, off the front foot or back foot, the ball hits the middle of his bat quite a lot."

If Patidar represents RCB's future and present, their experienced core has become the support structure around it.

Much has been said about RCB relying on players on the other side of 35 such as Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. But Bobat believes their value goes beyond age or experience columns.

"Experience does count for a lot in pressure games. I think everybody understands what Virat brings to a team, his intensity and his fight. He never lacks hunger and motivation," he said.

"Someone like Krunal is a player that has so much fight, so much aggression. He always wants to be in the game. He wants to be in the difficult moments."


"Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood are calmer characters. They're not overly aggressive, but they want to be in the difficult moments of the game. That's when they want to stand up."

That desire to move towards pressure, rather than away from it, is perhaps the clearest reflection of this RCB side.

For years, RCB searched for an identity. This season, it increasingly looks like they have found one: attack without recklessness, calm without passivity, and a captain whose personality seems to have quietly seeped into the dressing room around him.

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