With Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning their maiden Indian Premier League title after a long wait of 17 years, it has also meant that the league got a new champion team this time. With only two teams having won back-to-back IPL titles in the league’s history, RCB director of cricket Mo Bobat has urged the Rajat Patidar-led RCB to get addicted to the feeling of winning and win the title next year to join the illustrious list of teams winning back-to-back titles. Only Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indian have won back-to-back IPL titles and Bobat believes winning the title this year will get the team addicted to winning.
“I am gonna ask you to really make sure that we get addicted to this feeling of winning. Because this is a start. Not many teams have won back to back titles. It has happened twice before. Next year, we will have a final in and we will go again. So get addicted to the feeling tonight. Because it’s that feeling which then drives the hunger to go again next year. Its’ that addiction to winning, winning that trophy and sharing these moments which spurs us on and drives us on. We will be back next year and win that trophy again,” Bobat told the team members in a dressing room speech as shared by social media.
It took RCB a long wait of 17 years to win their maiden IPL title. While the team had advanced to the IPL final thrice before, they team had lost all three IPL finals. Incidentally, all of RCB’s losses in the IPL final had come while batting second. On Tuesday, RCB set a target of 191 runs against , followed by their bowlers restricting Punjab Kings to a total of 184 runs and handing the team a six-run win. Bobat termed the winning trophy as one of the most anticipated trophies in the world.
“This is without question one of the most anticipated trophies in world sport. When we think about what our fans have gone through, when we think about what Virat has gone through all those years. It’s a hugely anticipated trophy and the magnitude of that will hit us. When I talk about what we have gone through this season, one word comes to my kind Special. The way we have played has been special. That’s inspired people. When we think about games we clawed us back into, the aggressive nature of our cricket is special. Environment and culture of the team helps you win and that’s what we have achieved,” Bobat said.
RCB won all of their seven away games in the league stage and also won Qualifier 1 and final played at the ‘away’ venues. Bobat also talked about how the team came back after the break due to the suspension of IPL due to India-Pakistan hostilities. “Everybody contributed. There were away wins. That’s a special thing we ticked off. Something other teams have not done before. Think about the disruptions we had. When everybody went home. How we pulled back and had a restart. Injuries and all sorts of things we fought back. In the years to come, could be tomorrow, could be weeks or years to come. When you see somebody from this room, you will know that you have shared this season together. That’s the most special feeling. That’s what sports is all about. That’s what winning the trophies is all about,” he said.
