This Year, The Cup Is Ours

‘Ee Saala Cup Namdu’

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which was the most popular team in the Indian Premier League, doesn’t have any trophies. They have been the unluckiest team in the history of the IPL, having not won any title in 17 years. However, in 2025, they were fully prepared. In the auction, they chose players strategically. Their key players included Virat Kohli, Philips Salt, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (vc & wk), Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, and many others. They appointed their new captain as Rajat Patidar and also strengthened their bowling unit, which had been the main source of disappointment in the previous year.

IPL 2025

They began their IPL 2025 journey by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders. They were only defeated by Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the league stage. A break due to the Indo-Pak war couldn’t break their winning streak. RCB finished second in the points table. They faced Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur Stadium, where they restricted Punjab’s batting lineup and allowed them to set a target of 102 runs. RCB’s bowling lineup was tremendous, and their batting unit easily chased that target in 11 overs. After winning this match, they were directly qualified for the final in Ahmedabad. Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai in Qualifier 2 to qualify for the final. The grand final was on 3rd June 2025. Both teams had not won an IPL title before, meaning a new champion would be introduced to the history of the IPL.

The Chant by RCB fans –  ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde.’

A famous chant was echoed by all the RCB fans: ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde.’ It means that they will be the new champions of the IPL. The final was filled with thrills. RCB’s batting lineup scored a defendable total of 190 runs.

When Punjab began their chase, it seemed initially that they would win. However, after Krunal Pandya took the wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis, who were smashing the balls to the stands, the match turned in RCB’s favor. Shashank Singh was the lone warrior in Punjab’s batting, scoring 61 runs. In the end, with three balls remaining, Shashank Singh missed a ball, falling short by 6 runs.

Finally, RCB became the winners of the IPL, and the crowd chanted, ‘Ee Saala Cup Namdu,’ celebrating their championship victory.

RCB marked their glory with the performance of every player.

• Virat Kohli scored 8 half-centuries that season.
• Josh Hazlewood took 22 wickets in 12 matches.
• Romario Shepherd scored a half-century in just 12 balls.
• Andy Flower, the head coach, also maintained and strengthened his legacy in his coaching career.
• Rajat Patidar, the captain, led his team to glory through his outstanding captaincy.

Every player and staff member contributed to their success. As a cricket fan, I am very happy to see RCB crowned champions. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Punjab Kings, tried his best but faced defeat. He also led Delhi to the final and guided Kolkata Knight Riders to victory.

“For 18 years, they faced setbacks, doubt, and memes. But RCB taught us the ultimate lesson: True glory isn’t just about winning; it’s about relentless belief, unwavering spirit. It’s a reminder that if we stick with it, if we truly believe, our moment of triumph will come, and it will be all the more amazing because of the journey.”

  -Agnibesh Dey

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This article is published by Bookosmia, India’s #1 publisher for and by young people. Bookosmia publishes stories, books, podcasts, events, TED-Ed talks, workshops, bedtime stories and more related to kids and young adults.

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