Ahmedabad, June 2 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) director of cricket Mo Bobat credited the franchise’s successful title defence to the collective commitment of players and support staff, saying ‘everyone emptied the tank’ during a tiring IPL 2026 campaign that ended with a second consecutive championship.

RCB retained their crown by defeating the Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Virat Kohli starred with an unbeaten 75 as RCB chased down 156 in 18 overs to become only the third franchise in IPL history to win back-to-back titles.

Addressing the players in the dressing room after the victory, Bobat said the foundation for the triumph was laid immediately after last season’s title-winning campaign when the management challenged everyone in the squad to return as improved versions of themselves.

“If we’re going to do this back-to-back, we all have to come back better. We have to improve. We have to be better players, better staff members than we were last year, and we have to empty the tank again,” Bobat said in a video released by RCB on X. “Everyone’s come back better. Everyone’s emptied the tank. Everybody’s given their all. And that’s all we can ever ask.” He added.

Bobat said the quality of the dressing room and the willingness of every individual to put the team first had been central to RCB’s continued success. “The quality of this changing room is that good that if everyone empties the tank and gives their all, we know that success is inevitable. So thank you for that. We all know the IPL is brutal. When you finish the IPL, you need a break. But the best thing about it is everyone’s done that. Everyone has committed exactly the same, and everyone has given everything for the cause,” he said.

Bobat reserved special praise for squad members who did not feature regularly in the playing XI but continued to contribute behind the scenes. “A lot of environments say that the sign of a really good culture is the attitude and commitment of those that don’t take the field. For those of you who haven’t played this year, thanks for everything you’ve contributed. We really appreciate it.”

With consecutive IPL titles secured, RCB have now established themselves as one of the league’s most dominant forces and will now head into next season chasing their third title.

–IANS

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