Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) young batter Swastik Chikara responded to trolling during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Rajat Patidar-led side won their maiden IPL title after an 18-year wait. Chikara, who was a part of the same franchise, remained on the bench throughout.
However, the 20-year-old destructive batter got a lot of attention on social media for being around batting great Virat Kohli and faced brutal trolling for giving water to the team during matches. Months after RCB's win, Chikara responded to trolls saying that there is nothing wrong with taking care of his teammates, and he felt great because he was giving water to the best players, including World Number 1 Virat Kohli.
“Now tell me one thing. I wasn’t even playing, right? My job was to take care of the players, give them water, look after them, carry towels, or do anything else needed for the team. I just wanted to give my best, what’s the problem in that? That was my job, and giving water is a good thing. What’s wrong with that? At home, do you not give water to anyone, or wherever you are? In cricket, everyone gives water, who doesn’t?” said Chikara on CricXtasy
“For me, it felt great. I was giving water to the best players, the world’s number one player (Virat Kohli), with my own hands. He drank water from my hands. What could be better than that? I really enjoyed it, and he drank it,” he added.
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Swastik Chikara on Rajat Patidar's captaincy
Chikara also praised Rajat Patidar's captaincy during IPL 2025. Patidar was appointed as RCB skipper ahead of the 18th season. He was announced as Faf du Plessis' sucessor, who was released by the franchise before the mega auction and picked by Delhi Capitals (DC) in the mega auction.
“He showed really excellent captaincy. I mean, handling such a big team, and it was his first time captaining in the IPL, and he didn’t take any pressure at all. He managed everything very well, every decision happening in the match. It’s a huge thing, bro, and captaining RCB comes with its own pressure. The fan base is so strong that if you make even one mistake, anything can happen in two minutes.”
The Bengaluru-based franchise defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to win their inagural title, where Kohli was the team's highest run-getter, amassing 657 runs in 15 innings, including eight half-centuries at an average of 54.75.