RCB’s philosophy won the IPL — now comes the test against Gujarat Titans

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But the more revealing thing Bobat says about Bhuvneshwar has nothing to do with wickets. “When the young boys see him operate, see how calm he is, see how clear he is, see the level of preparation that goes into things, they’ll just be copying that — in the same way that people copy the way Virat goes about his business, or Rajat or Krunal.” He is not someone overly expressive, Bobat notes. He leads by example. Six three-wicket hauls this season. A four-wicket spell in Raipur, followed by a match-winning six in the final over with the bat. Example upon example.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru players in a huddle during Match 67 of the \Indian Premier League 2026 between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. (BCCI/Creimas Photo)

Rajat Patidar, the captain, operates in the same register. When Bobat is asked whether it surprised him to see Patidar win the IPL in his first season leading the side, he almost dismisses the question. “No, not at all. We went into the season knowing we’re good enough to win the competition.” The credit he volunteers is for something quieter. “Rajat hasn’t changed at all. That’s probably the biggest thing I’d give him credit for.” In an environment where IPL captaincy can remake a player’s public identity overnight, staying unchanged is harder than it sounds. This season Patidar has made 326 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 195. His record-breaking hundredth IPL six — faster than any Indian before him, only Russell and Pooran quicker all-time — arrived during a losing chase against SRH last week, on a night when securing a top-two finish mattered more than the scoreline. He understood the difference.

Devdutt Padikkal’s transformation has been less visible but no less deliberate. He returned to RCB at the auction as a player who had drifted through three franchises in three years, managing 38 runs across seven innings for Lucknow last season. What RCB offered him was unusual: they would not judge him on volume. “We are going to judge him on the impact he has for the team,” Bobat says. “And as soon as he heard that, I think he probably felt quite liberated.” Whether liberation has a measurable strike rate is debatable. Between Dinesh Karthik and Andy Flower, the work on his strengths and how he could put pressure on the opposition was precise. Padikkal made 247 runs in ten matches before injury interrupted his season. It was not the runs that told the story. It was the manner of them.

Virat Kohli, at 281 appearances the most capped player in IPL history, still attracts the question about method — whether the conventional can survive in a format built for the unconventional. Bobat is impatient with it. “I would say he’s batting very aggressively. He’s consistently been striking above 150 or 160 most of the time. He’s doing his job. He’s leading from the front. He’s finding moments to apply pressure, but he’s also good enough to absorb pressure when we need to.” Then, with a finality that closes the subject: “That’s what happens when you’ve got a champion player.”

Bobat had come to RCB with structural questions that nobody else was asking. He found clarity where there had been noise, and built the conditions for everything that followed. Nine wins from fourteen matches, top of the table. On workload, the one problem that remains, he is honest. “I don’t think workload management is going to solve it. Cricket needs to probably do a better job of its schedule.” The T20 specialist, he observes, now has a career shaped less like a cricketer’s and more like a tennis player’s or a golfer’s. “They’re almost self-employed. They move from event to event, travelling around the world.”

On Tuesday, in the first qualifier against Gujarat Titans, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will run in, seam upright, wrist in the same position it has been for sixteen years. The batsmen may hit him. In T20 cricket, they usually try. But they will not pick it.