RCB won their maiden IPL title in the 18th season of the tournament.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have finally ended their 17-year-long wait for the elusive Indian Premier League (IPL) title. They grabbed the trophy in the tournament’s 18th season after defeating the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the IPL 2025 Final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Speaking to CricXtacy on an episode of The CX Pod EXCLUSIVES, RCB wicketkeeper-batter brushed aside all the pressure of expectations before the IPL 2025. When asked about the team’s trophy drought for more than a decade, the 31-year-old confidently stated that once RCB gets to etch their name on the trophy, they might carry on the momentum to win five successive titles.
“No worries! Once our time comes, we might win trophies for five years straight!” he said.
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The Vidarbha player opined that RCB had built up a strong squad for the IPL 2025. He felt that it constituted a proper mix of Indian and overseas experience. However, the batter also emphasised that crucial performances at game-changing moments decide a champion side, more than the strength of the overall squad.
“It looked well-balanced. Looking at our Indian players, I felt a lot of satisfaction. And when you look at our foreign players, like Liam [Livingstone] and [Phil] Salt — they are among the best choices for the ground. I think it’s a well-balanced team. I feel every team is good. But it all comes down to timing. The right player has to click at the right time. That’s all that matters,” he added.
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He also wished to lift the IPL trophy this season with the stalwart and former RCB captain Virat Kohli. Jitesh acknowledged the continuous efforts of Kohli for all these years and wanted to finally end the agony for him.
“A person who dedicates so many years to cricket, or anything, deserves something in return. He has given his life to this. From both a human and cricketer’s perspective, a player who has played for one franchise for so many years deserves at least one trophy. Maybe God had different plans before, but I really want him to lift the RCB trophy once — with me,” expressed Jitesh.
Jitesh played a key role throughout the IPL 2025 in his debut season for RCB. He played a crucial 10-ball-24 knock in the IPL 2025 Final at a blazing strike rate of 240, when most of the batters struggled to get going on that surface. Notably, this knock came against his former franchise, PBKS, who are also yet to win their maiden IPL title.
Previously, his astonishing unbeaten 85-run knock off just 33 balls helped RCB chase a mammoth 227 against the Lucknow Super Giants to secure a top-two finish in the league.
However, a brilliant bowling unit of RCB restricted the PBKS lineup last night from hitting big shots while defending a total of 190. A late surge from Shashank Singh, who scored a fiery 61 off 30 deliveries, failed to chase the total by a mere margin of six runs. They will continue their hunt for the championship title again in the next season.
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