Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has remarked that Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins on March 28, will be determined by their ability to sustain a winning formula.
After winning their first IPL title in 2025, RCB enters IPL 2026 as the reigning champions. They intend to defend their crown, but Chopra thinks that in order to duplicate the success of the 2025 season, they will need to perfect their winning recipe.
“Generally, there is a very interesting thing about the winning team, which is intangible. When the tournament starts, no one knows who will win. Everyone feels they would win, but as the season progresses, an intangible sort of thing happens, which keeps happening slowly on its own, and suddenly an atmosphere gets created where you think you are invincible,” Chopra said in a video on his official YouTube channel.
“In the second season, you try and replicate that. It got created on its own the first time, and you try to manufacture it the second time. You cannot manufacture that feeling. Either it’s there, or it’s not there, and if it has to get developed, it happens on its own. The champion teams try to replicate the same formula and feeling again, which is not possible many times,” he added.
Problems with RCB’s bowling
Bengaluru might have bowling problems, according to the former India opener. Yash Dayal will miss the entire season for to personal reasons, and Josh Hazlewood, one of their strike bowlers, will miss the tournament’s first phase. Additionally, he is concerned that Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya will continue to play as they did in the previous season, with a particular emphasis on the latter.
“I do feel slight problems could come in bowling. I am already seeing that. Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma did very well last year. I thought it surprised everyone because I felt there was a slight weakness there for sure, but both, whether it’s Krunal or Suyash, managed really well,” he said.
“However, will they be able to do that the second year as well? If two or three matches don’t go well, will you try to remove Suyash and get someone else? These are the questions that can pop up, and now, since Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal aren’t there, there might be more pressure on the bowlers.
The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster also thinks that the role of an experienced pacer like Bhuvaneshwar Kumar may shift as a result of the absences. He observes the growth of Mangesh Yadav, who was acquired at auction for an incredible INR 5.2 crore, but he is dubious about his ability to match Dayal’s performances.
“The role might change. You might expect Bhuvneshwar Kumar to play a different role. I have heard the new player, Mangesh Yadav, is very good. I am really hopeful that he will be good, but if you expect the same thing from him that you were expecting from Yash, it is not always an easy thing to do. So I definitely see a challenge in the bowling unit,” he elaborated.
Notably, on March 28 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB will start their title defense against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
