The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally ended the 18-year wait and won their first-ever IPL title by defeating the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the finalby six runs at the Narendra Modi stadium on Tuesday. It was quite an emotional victory for the franchise as they had previously lost all three IPL finals that they had made.
Karthik credited Flower for making him a better batting coach
Following the emphatic win, RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik showered praise on the unsung hero, Andy Flower who is the head coach of the side. Karthik stated that Flower pushed the team through his coaching and even credited the former Zimbabwe cricketer for helping him become a better batting coach than he was when he first started.
"This game, the final, it's not about the pitch; it's about the emotion and the fire in the tank. A lot of credit goes to the support staff. Must say Andy Flower put us through the rigour," Karthik said after the match.
"Really pushed us. And I think it made us a good support staff. I've become a better batting coach than I started. The way he's groomed me and helped me. From the start, he had a plan and a vision. Amazing work by the boys," he added.
Karthik dubbed the victory as 'massive' and dedicated it to the fans, who kept on supporting the side during their highs and lows. He also credited the team's support staff following the emotional win.
"Massive. It's a team that's waited 18 years. I played a lot of good cricket but had to wait for its time. But it belongs to every fan here. Virat Kohli. The greats like AB and Gayle, they've all tried their hearts out. A couple of support staff in our team: Basu, Mane kaka, they've all waited 18 years. Really happy for them," Karthik stated.
"Right from the start, we believed we were a team that was good. We had a lot of bases covered. Great to see different boys stand up at different points in time. Even today, it was a high-pressure game, and they really pushed us," he concluded.
Karthik formerly featured for the Bengaluru-based franchise in the 2023 and 2024 season of the IPL. While the side finished sixth and failed to make it to the playoffs in the former campaign, they ended up getting knocked out in the eliminator against the Rajasthan Royals in the latter.