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Captain Rajat Patidar said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have moved past the excitement of last season’s IPL win and are now focused on “ticking all the boxes” to win another trophy this year.
RCB's IPL 2026 blueprint
RCB started IPL 2026 in style, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the tournament opener. But Patidar made it clear that the team isn’t thinking of this season as defending their title.
“We are not here with the mindset that we have to defend anything, what we did in 2025 has passed. We are here with the mindset that in 2026 we have to tick all the boxes and that will help us win the trophy this year,” he said after the match.
In their win, RCB ticked off three important boxes thanks to brilliant performances from Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, and Jacob Duffy.
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Patidar had high praise for Kohli.
“Virat Kohli is a number one chase master, so, I always liked his batting and to watch his batting from the dugout, the way he played the shots, the way he assessed the situation, I think that was really good to see as always.
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"Even I feel (like head coach Andy Flower) like he is at his peak. I have no words to describe his innings. He is my idol and the way I saw him in the nets, the same energy, the same eagerness to perform, to dominate this game... I think I am learning a lot of things by watching him in the nets."
Patidar also praised pacer Duffy, who took three key wickets to break SRH’s top order.
"Jacob Duffy, I think he is a specialist T20 bowler and we have a lot of confidence in him. I think the way he is delivering his skill...that was tremendous," he said.
RCB will now face five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in their second clash of the IPL 2026, which will take place on April 5.
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