Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar lavished praise on bowling coach Omkar Salvi after the franchise clinched its second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

Rajat Patidar lauds Omkar Salvi for RCB's bowling performance

While the spotlight often falls on players and senior coaches, Patidar highlighted Salvi’s behind-the-scenes work with the bowlers as a key reason behind the team’s success.

“I’ve seen Omkar Salvi sir from my first Ranji season [in 2015]. He spends lot of time one-on-one with every bowler. There is a lot of hard work that Salvi sir has done for the team. You won’t see him in the meeting room, he spends time one-on-one with the bowlers,” Patidar said in the post-match press conference.

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Salvi, who previously served as Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy head coach, joined RCB as bowling coach in November 2024. His appointment came after Mumbai enjoyed a highly successful domestic season, winning both the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Trophy.

RCB's bowling performance in IPL 2026

Since his arrival, RCB’s pace attack has developed into one of the most effective bowling units in the tournament. Josh Hazlewood picked up 15 wickets in 13 matches, while Rasikh Salam emerged as one of the standout performers of IPL 2026. Salam finished as the seventh-highest wicket-taker of the season with 19 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 21.31, including a three-wicket haul in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy also impressed in his debut IPL season, taking nine wickets in six matches at an average of 29.22.

Veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar narrowly missed out on the Purple Cap after another outstanding campaign. He claimed 28 wickets at an average of 17.89 and maintained an economy rate of 7.95 in conditions that largely favoured batters.

Patidar lauds Andy Flower 

Patidar also showered praise on head coach Andy Flower, calling him the best coach he has worked with in his IPL career. The RCB skipper credited Flower and the rest of the coaching staff for creating a positive team environment and helping change the culture within the franchise over the last few years.

“I’ve played five seasons of the IPL and he is one of the best coaches,” Patidar said. “The way he handles players, not only those who play. For him the players who aren’t playing, the first-timers, he spends a lot of time with every individual. I don’t have words to express, but he’s the best coach I’ve played under.

“The [team] culture has changed. I don’t know what it was before 2021. But since I’ve come in, there have been a lot of changes in the mindset of players. All credit to the coaching staff, the way they’ve been handling the players. Especially the new players who are also an important part of the team. The coaching staff treats every player equally - that’s a big change.”

Despite winning back-to-back IPL titles, Patidar is not thinking about slowing down. The RCB captain has already set his sights on an even bigger achievement, helping the franchise complete a hat-trick of IPL titles before the next mega auction.