Former India cricketer Saba Karim compared Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar's leadership with legendary captains Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni after team's second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) title triumph. Defending champions RCB defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to clinch their second title.

Why Rajat Patidar compared with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni

With this win, RCB become the third franchise after Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to register consecutive IPL title wins. Patidar becomes the third captain to win back-to-back IPL titles after MS Dhoni (2010 and 2011 seasons) and Rohit Sharma (2019 and 2020 seasons).

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“One of the biggest reasons behind RCB winning a second consecutive title has been the clarity around individual roles within the team, and Rajat Patidar deserves a lot of credit for that. If you look at his journey, he came in as a replacement player and eventually became the captain.

“For someone without international experience, earning respect in a dressing room filled with world-class players, including Virat Kohli, is not easy. Rajat earned that respect through consistent performances. Once he established himself, he became instrumental in shaping this side.

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“He has played a major role in building a strong bowling unit. I also see a lot of clarity in his captaincy. When we talk about captains who have led teams to consecutive titles, names like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma come up, and I can see similarities in the way Rajat Patidar leads this team,” said Karim on Star Sports.

RCB vs GT IPL 2026 final

Virat Kohli once again led from the front as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) successfully defended their Indian Premier League (IPL) title with a comfortable five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday.

Chasing a modest target of 156, Kohli remained unbeaten on 75 off just 42 balls, smashing nine fours and three sixes. The star batter also registered the fastest fifty of his IPL career, reaching the milestone in only 25 deliveries. His innings ensured RCB cruised to 161/5 in 18 overs to seal their second successive IPL crown.

Earlier, after opting to bowl, RCB’s bowlers produced a disciplined performance to keep Gujarat Titans in check. Rasikh Salam Dar was the standout performer with figures of 3/27, while experienced pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood picked up two wickets each.

Despite a promising start from their top-order, Gujarat Titans failed to build momentum in the middle and death overs, eventually finishing on 155/8.