Rajat Patidar Leads RCB to Historic IPL Victory

Rajat Patidar has made history by leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second consecutive IPL title, defeating the Gujarat Titans. This victory not only marks RCB's successful title defense but also establishes Patidar as the first captain to win two IPL championships in his first two seasons. With a record of just 28 matches to achieve this feat, he joins the elite ranks of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. Patidar's journey is remarkable, having been signed as an injury replacement just a year prior. Discover more about this historic achievement and what it means for the future of RCB.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jun 1, 2026, 00:00 IST

RCB Triumphs Again Under Patidar's Leadership

On May 31, Rajat Patidar made history by guiding the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) championship, defeating the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. This victory marks RCB's second title win under Patidar's captaincy, following their inaugural triumph in 2025. With this achievement, RCB becomes only the third team to successfully defend their title, while Patidar joins the ranks of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as the only captains to secure back-to-back championships. Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) achieved this feat in 2010 and 2011, while Rohit's Mumbai Indians (MI) did so in 2019 and 2020. Gautam Gambhir is also notable for leading the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.

Rajat Patidar's Historic Achievement

Patidar has set a record as the first captain to win the IPL trophy in his first two seasons. While Shane Warne, Rohit, and Hardik Pandya all won the title in their debut seasons, none managed to defend it. Hardik was the only other captain to reach the finals in his first two seasons but fell short as Gujarat Titans lost to Chennai Super Kings in a thrilling last-ball finish in 2023. Furthermore, Patidar holds the record for the fewest matches required to win two IPL titles, having achieved this in just 28 games, surpassing Rohit Sharma's previous record of 44 matches.

Fewest Matches Required to Win 2 IPL Titles as Captain

Player	Matches Captained When Lifting 2nd IPL Trophy
Rajat Patidar	28
Rohit Sharma	44
MS Dhoni	59
Gautam Gambhir	79

Additionally, Patidar is the first player to win two IPL titles as captain before making his T20I debut. Warne was the only other captain to win an IPL title prior to playing in the international T20 format, having retired from white-ball cricket before the first T20I in 2005. When he led the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to victory in the inaugural season of 2008, he had already stepped away from all forms of international cricket. Patidar's remarkable journey continues as he was signed by RCB as an injury replacement in 2022 after going unsold in the auction.