Kohli smashed a majestic 42-ball 75 not out, laced with nine fours and three sixes, as RCB completed a chase of 156 to retain the title they won at the same venue in 2025. Kohli also reached his fifty in 25 balls \u2013 the fastest he\u2019s reached the half-century mark in his history of playing the IPL.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYou asked about Virat\u2019s hunger and how that affects him. When I was in the dressing room last night after the game, I mentioned it actually. His hunger and drive it\u2019s genuinely inspiring. Even for older blokes like me, seeing someone as hungry and driven, as disciplined and as ambitious as he still is, it\u2019s wonderful to witness. And we\u2019re very lucky to have him in the dressing room.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe sets certain standards, like standards of intensity in the field, for instance, that means that anyone falling below those is going to stand out like a sore thumb. So we don\u2019t need coaches driving intensity on standards in the field, for instance, because he\u2019s living it and doing it. And everyone else has to raise their games to get anywhere near it,\u201d Flower said in a virtual press conference on Monday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former Zimbabwe captain, who coached England to the 2010 Men\u2019s T20 World Cup title win, added, \u201cHe works hard at his game, but you can see that he loves it as well. He loves batting. He loves hitting a ball. He loves the feeling of the ball meeting the middle of the bat. I would imagine the craft and mastery that he feels when he\u2019s got a bat in his hands. Again, those standards are easy for people in our training sessions to see, and certainly it just helps everyone head in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar also acknowledged Kohli\u2019s influence on his own leadership journey after being appointed the side\u2019s captain ahead of winning their first title in the 2025 season. \u201cRegarding Virat bhai, as I said in many press conferences and interviews, his presence makes a lot of difference. For me, it's great learning. Whenever I\u2019m around him on the field and off the field, I always notice him. I don\u2019t speak much, but I always notice him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut whenever I have some kind of doubts regarding the leadership role or taking any decision, I always go to Virat bhai. For me, it\u2019s a great opportunity to learn from the best and the greats of cricket. So, their ideas, inputs, and experience are definitely helping me a lot to grow in my new leadership role,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Under Patidar\u2019s captaincy, RCB have now won back\u2011to\u2011back IPL titles and have shed their long\u2011standing reputation as perennial underachievers. The Indore-based batter himself had a standout campaign, scoring 501 runs at a strike rate of 192.69, including a match\u2011winning 93 not out in Qualifier 1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt's not like I had to go in and target the bowlers from ball number one. No one in the team was doing that. It's important to back your instincts. We did a lot of hard work before the tournament with DK (Dinesh Karthik, batting coach-cum-mentor), Flower, and Mo Bobat (Director of Cricket) were also there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThere was more clarity about my role. I was pretty clear that if I'm batting in the middle overs, I can maximise and I can take a risk. I like taking risks, so if I am playing in the middle overs phase, I like to maximise every bowler. If I feel I have to go after the attack on my second delivery, I back myself and go with full clarity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Patidar also drew praise from Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer, who labelled him the \u2018most stylish performer\u2019 of the season. Responding to the compliment, Patidar said, \u201cI have spent a lot of time with Shreyas. In my first season in Ranji, we played Mumbai, and at that time, he scored a lot of runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThere was more clarity about my role. I was pretty clear that if I'm batting in the middle overs, I can maximise and I can take a risk. I like taking risks, so if I am playing in the middle overs phase, I like to maximise every bowler. If I feel I have to go after the attack on my second delivery, I back myself and go with full clarity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Patidar also mentioned Rajasthan Royals\u2019 15\u2011year\u2011old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who won the Orange Cap with 776 runs, as the standout performer of the season. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty clear, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He\u2019s so young, and the way he\u2019s dominated this tournament. He just didn\u2019t play; he dominated every top bowler. So the way he played his shots, he\u2019s amazing. Whenever I saw him on TV, it was just superb. I wish him luck.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n