‘Make sure that we get addicted to this feeling of winning': RCB director Mo Bobat urges team to get addicted to titles after maiden IPL trophy
'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 IPL titles. It has happened twice before. Next year, we will have a final in Bangalore 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 RCB 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 Punjab Kings, 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
'If I criticise you in 7 matches out of 14, I'm being very lenient': Irfan Pathan unfiltered on IPL commentary sacking
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has finally broken his silence on speculation surrounding his exit from the IPL 2025 broadcast panel. Speaking in an interview with TheLallantop, Pathan hinted that his ouster from the commentary panel might have been due to his criticism of India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, quite likely during the latter's first season as Mumbai Indians captain. Irfan Pathan didn't mince his words as he spoke about his sacking from IPL broadcast(File Image) Pathan was quick to stress that his commentary is rooted in professionalism, not personal bias. 'If I'm criticising you in 7 matches out of 14, I'm still being lenient. That is our job as broadcasters,' Pathan responded after being asked about the player who influenced his IPL exit. For the former all-rounder, constructive analysis is a core part of the role, and he rejected any suggestion of personal grudges. In fact, Pathan stressed his history of supporting players from Baroda, including Hardik himself. 'There is no rivalry. All the Baroda players who have come after me, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya or Hardik Pandya, none of them can say that Irfan-Yusuf did not help them,' he said, drawing attention to the guidance he and his brother Yusuf have offered over the years. He added that it included help in arranging sponsorships and putting in a good word for the players. The former fast-bowling all-rounder recalled a telling moment from over a decade ago, when he had attempted to open doors for a young Hardik Pandya. Back in 2012, Pathan recommended the budding all-rounder to Sunrisers Hyderabad, only to see the opportunity slip away. 'VVS Laxman admitted on Star Sports, that he was at fault for not listening to me, and not picking Hardik in 2012. If he had picked him then, Hardik would have played for Hyderabad,' Pathan revealed. Pathan on defending Hardik Pathan also pointed to moments where he publicly defended Hardik. In particular, he highlighted his support for the all-rounder during the backlash from Mumbai Indians fans in 2024, after Rohit Sharma was removed from captaincy and Pandya faced hostile treatment. According to Pathan, his commentary is always directed at the cricket, not the individual. 'There is nothing wrong in criticising the player, if you play, you have to go through that. It happened with Sunil Gavaskar, the great Sachin Tendulkar… they never made anyone feel, they were bigger than the game. But I'm against the derogatory words used against Pandya,' Pathan clarified.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
KKR join race for Sanju Samson race, offer RR two players including last year's Team India debutant: Report
The IPL rumour mill has been churning in this brief window of break for the Indian national team. The most on-demand player, the one who every IPL team has an eye on, is current Rajasthan Royals captain and Indian T20I opener Sanju Samson. Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson flips the coin at a toss in IPL 2025.(ANI) The latest team to join the Samson sweepstakes are reportedly Kolkata Knight Riders, a franchise in search of a marquee domestic talent to take charge of their top order in the coming seasons. With the RR captain seemingly an option on the table even before the auction for next year's competition, Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika reports that KKR are considering flipping the high-profile talents of Angkrish Raghuvanshi or Ramandeep Singh. While both players provide high domestic upside and are players for the long-term future, RR will need to ask themselves how they also fit into current plans. For the team from Jaipur, the problem areas in 2025 was pace bowling and reliable lower middle order batting. Neither of the players they would receive in exchange for Samson are particularly suited for those roles, but could still prove to be valuable purchases for a team that has never shied away from taking big gambles on younger prospects. Is Samson a good fit for KKR? Meanwhile, Samson would fit in nicely at KKR, taking over the gloves and opening up an extra overseas slot as he would replace Quinton de Kock or Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the opening position. The key for the two teams would be to figure out the nitty-gritty details of such a team: Samson earns a top band of retainer money at INR 18 crore, suiting his status as Indian opener, but the two younger players only combine for INR 7 crore combined. Any such deal will likely include some cash involved. KKR are not the only team Samson has been linked with, as different reports indicate that Chennai Super Kings are very serious about landing the services of Samson for their team. However, RR's demands in response are steep, as they ask for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, all-round power hitter Shivam Dube, or a homecoming for experienced veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. A potential Samson trade is likely to be a matter of concern for much of the league, with everyone with their ears to the ground in terms of finding the right trade for the Kerala superstar.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma wanted to continue in Tests but were told to go: India legend fires a rocket at Agarkar, BCCI
Sourav Ganguly retired in October 2008. Four years later, in 2012, Rahul Dravid called time on a glorious 16-year-long career. VVS Laxman was the next to go after a few months, followed by Sachin Tendulkar in November 2013. Eleven months later, it was Virender Sehwag's turn. In a span of two years, four of the Fab Five of Indian cricket were gone. Just like that. That's how retirement in Indian cricket has traditionally been. The transition takes place gradually. One by one, the seniors, because of their dwindling forms and slowing reflexes, take a step back, allowing the youngsters to take over. They don't always leave at the same time. Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket roughly within a week of each other in May earlier this year(File) However, three months later, this pattern broke when two of Indian cricket's biggest batting stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, announced their retirements from Test cricket, all within a five-day gap. Rohit was the first to pull the plug on his Test career, casually dropping an Instagram story to announce his departure from the India whites. Two days later, news broke that Kohli wrote to the BCCI that he wants to retire from Test cricket. And in the next 48 hours, he made it official through a post on Instagram. Kohli, Rohit. Also gone. Just like that. Also Read: Rohit Sharma asked Rishabh Pant 'retirement le lu?' after India won Champions Trophy; Virat Kohli said 'Abey yeh toh...' Over the next 15-20 days, multiple theories and reports came to light. Were they genuinely done or forced to retire? After all, Kohli returned to play Ranji Trophy for Delhi, and even told his Delhi coach that he wanted to score at least 4-5 centuries in England this time round. And Rohit, in a freewheeling chat with Michael Clarke, during the IPL break, had clearly mentioned that he was looking forward to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. But the fact that all of this resulted in their retirements didn't sit well with the fans, with many speculating behind-the-scenes roles that led to… rather pushed them to retire. Also Read: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli asked, 'How will you keep yourself motivated?'; 'Should have said we won't play ODIs, T20Is' Time may or may not answer this question, but legendary Indian cricketer Karsan Ghavri has. The former left-arm pacer for India, who opened the bowling with Kapil Dev in the 1970s, has added fuel to the fire, openly claiming that while Kohli, Rohit wanted to continue playing Tests for India, the BCCI's 'politics', along with the selection panel led by its chairman Ajit Agarkar, eventually made the decision to shove Ro-Ko out of Test cricket. "He [Kohli] should have definitely continued playing for India easily, probably for another couple of years. But something really forced him to retire. And unfortunately, when he retired, he was not even given a farewell by the BCCI. Such players, such a great player who has done such great service to BCCI, India cricket and Indian fans, should be given a grand and fabulous farewell," Ghavri, who played 39 Tests and 19 ODIs for India, said on the Vickey Lalwani Show. Karsan Ghavri goes on record Kohli went out as the fourth-highest run-getter for Tests in India, finishing with less than 10,000 runs in the format, a fact that is still tough to digest given his quality. During his 14-year-long career, Kohli became India's greatest Test captain, leading the team to 40 wins, including the first-ever series win in Australia during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. There's no denying the fact that Kohli's Test form plummeted in the last five years, but it's hard to come to terms with the fact that he let go of the format he loves the most at the age of 36. Rohit's Test career never quite took off like Kohli's, but after being made to open in September 2019, he enjoyed a second wind in his batting. Ghavri, 74, went on record to state that the decision-makers did not want to see Kohli and Rohit take any further part in Test cricket, and despite Ro-Ko's resistance, they were asked to leave. "It's due to internal politics within the BCCI, which is hard to understand. And I think this is the reason he retired prematurely. Even Rohit Sharma retired prematurely. They were asked to go out. It's not like they wanted to leave. They wanted to continue. But the selectors and BCCI had different ideas. It was a matter of some kind of petty politics," added Ghavri.
