
Royal Challengers BangaloreThe successful defense of their IPL crown should have been a moment of unfiltered celebration. Instead, a social media post was shared by the franchise after him ipl 2026 Vijay has sparked an unexpected debate among fans. While RCB lost and won its second consecutive title. Gujarat Titans In the final, many supporters were left asking one question: “Where is Rajat Patidar?”
Controversy erupts after RCB posts a picture Virat Kohlihead coach andy flowers and team director mo bobat Posing with the IPL trophy. with caption, “Three men. One mission. The rest is history. 🏆”The post quickly went viral. However, it wasn’t long before fans started questioning the absence of the team captain, Rajat PatidarFrom a post celebrating one of the most successful stretches in franchise history.
three men. A mission. the rest is history. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/HToqoJEW9x
– Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) 1 June 2026
Fans raised questions on title-winning captain Rajat Patidar’s omission
The image was intended to celebrate RCB’s remarkable achievement of winning two consecutive IPL titles. Although it was widely appreciated, a significant section of supporters felt that the franchise had ignored the man who had led the team to both championships.
Social media platforms were flooded with reactions from fans who believed that Patidar deserved a place on the post. Many pointed out that the captain had played a crucial role in shaping the team’s success over the past two seasons and should have been one of the central figures in any title celebrations.
For the supporters, the issue was not to minimize Kohli’s contribution but to acknowledge the leader who guided the team on the field throughout the campaign.
Patidar’s leadership transformed RCB
Patidar’s captaincy has been one of the biggest success stories in recent IPL history. After assuming the leadership responsibilities, he helped RCB break their long wait for their first IPL title in 2025. Instead of a one-season wonder, the franchise returned stronger in 2026 and successfully defended the trophy.
His calm approach, tactical awareness and ability to support his players has earned him praise from both teammates and cricket experts. During the 2026 season, Patidar led from the front at crucial moments, including a brilliant unbeaten 93 in Qualifier 1, which played a major role in RCB making it to the final.
By guiding the franchise to consecutive championships, he entered an exclusive group of IPL captains who have successfully defended a title, cementing his legacy within the tournament.
Virat Kohli’s heroics in the final remain undisputed
Despite criticism over the post, some fans disputed Kohli’s importance to RCB’s title-winning campaign. The former captain once again excelled when it mattered most, playing an unbeaten match-winning inning of 75 runs in the final to help his team cross the finish line.
Kohli’s contribution to RCB over the years has made him one of the most iconic figures of the franchise. So his presence in the festive image was understandable. However, many supporters argued that celebrating Kohli and recognizing Patidar’s captaincy achievements should not be mutually exclusive.
Notably, over the years, RCB were often accused of relying too much on star power while struggling to convert potential into trophies. The advent of sustained success under Patidar’s leadership has changed that story. The response to the post shows how much fans value the collective identity that has emerged within the team. While Kohli remains the face of the franchise, supporters believe the team’s recent achievements are based on strong leadership, smart coaching and a culture that prioritizes results over individual stardom.
Also read: Top 5 oldest cricketers to win Player of the Match award in IPL final. Virat Kohli
Here’s how fans reacted:
I am a die-hard fan of “RCB” and I have to admit that Silver should be at the center of these pictures, not Virat. end of discussion. https://t.co/EcCbyXMOH7
– Nike Jr. 7️⃣ (@BrunoFernansch8) 2 June 2026
Rajat Patidar was robbed. Brother helped the wrong team win the trophy. He deserves better 💔 https://t.co/1OTTWwrssv
– Gagan🇮🇳 (@1no_aalsi_) 2 June 2026
Why Virat Kohli in all these pictures? Why not Rajat Patidar? What has he done wrong? https://t.co/kjrpyusrCD
– Abhinav Msdian™ (@Abhinav_Hariom) 2 June 2026
“We worked together on leadership” But don’t ask me about my leadership, or I’ll block you on Instagram 😈 https://t.co/vsmVEB9dNT
– Abhishek (@ydvakhi93) 2 June 2026
Unreal Credit Theft https://t.co/sPz0aEHTi6
– Veer (@pullxshot) 2 June 2026
Stealing credit is nothing new for Virat, he did it with Rohit for ICC trophies and is doing it with Rajat now https://t.co/qqet55kVTr
– RGS45 (@ict_77) 2 June 2026
Funny how the actual captain is being overshadowed. Rajat Patidar led the team calmly, took the right decisions and led RCB to consecutive wins, yet the spotlight is only on Kohli.
Virat Kohli is the biggest credit stealer; He took all the credit for India’s test… https://t.co/kBuVG7npsI
– JB (@93yorkers) 3 June 2026
Then Ajinkya Rahane, now Rajat Patidar.. we can never beat their unsafe PR game https://t.co/zpMZxo4hl0 pic.twitter.com/xY3KMcWP56
—` (@justrohit45) 3 June 2026
RCB captain Rajat Patidar https://t.co/FsCWQOBD3r pic.twitter.com/8ZJHGZjQjv
– Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) 2 June 2026
Must be a Patidar. He also won back to back trophies with his captaincy and performances! https://t.co/ONU4b4A7Cb
– Virus (@virusbirani_) 2 June 2026
feeling bad for patidar https://t.co/PbToYWwVpm
– 𝘷𝘶𝘶𝘳 (@notsourlmao) 2 June 2026
Silver plated edges 🥹🥺
it’s amazing https://t.co/0XCC9Sf1o4
— 𝒜𝒹𝒾𝒾𝒾 𝒜𝓊𝓊𝒶𝒶 (@GuddiAditi) 2 June 2026
Where is my man Patidar 😔💔 https://t.co/WylT5RNVWJ
– bethellexual ⭐️ (@bethellexual) 3 June 2026
Where is Patidar??😅😅 https://t.co/3eK5rpCsys
– ~a~ (@L_litlikeamatch) 2 June 2026
Where is the silver? @RCBTweets https://t.co/AfEXRsEXcG
– Faizal (@Suicidalfaizz) 2 June 2026
Where is Rajat Patidar bruh😪😪 https://t.co/z6GUh1rtSV
– Dr.Dark Knight (@darkknight11010) 2 June 2026
Hardly anything has been tweeted about Patidar
you don’t deserve this brother @rrjjt_01 😢 https://t.co/6FqFC4H7eo– Jaibabu❤️🔥 (@unknown_user26_) 2 June 2026
I feel really bad for Rajat Patidar, he has done everything for RCB, but they are making him a side character to promote Kohli PR. https://t.co/vwUKVcjlz7
– ‘Mr’ Villa (@Luccydevil07) 3 June 2026
way @RCBTweets And their PR team sidelines their captain and instead publicizes every post involving Kohli, which deserves to be studied 🤣 https://t.co/OIp6EiZcVr
– Swarad Mokal 🇮🇳 (@swarad07) 3 June 2026
Who is your captain? https://t.co/u5FXko5QUw
– Pun. life. (@mindkhichdi) 3 June 2026
Rajat Patidar should be the center here… https://t.co/2pyBLUv4BC
– Sigma mode on🙅♂️ (@MrPrajjvalViews) 3 June 2026
Rajat Patidar should leave RCB.
He never gets the limelight he deserves because every conversation eventually becomes about Virat Kohli. According to the logic some people are using for Jaiswal, Rajat can never become the face of the franchise until Kohli leaves. https://t.co/MzaYKFCceS
– CM (@royals_33) 3 June 2026
What a shameless franchise. Why was Virat Chokli included and Rajat left out? https://t.co/m509HNH0Lr
– Ichigo Kurosaki – The Substitute Shinigami (@baharudin7777) 3 June 2026
But, the captain was Rajat Patidar, right??? https://t.co/hNxILB0zHW
– MS (@T20wc24India) 2 June 2026
The disrespect to Rajat Patidar is unrealistic. 0 promotion despite RCB official page gifting them 2 trophies https://t.co/xW5gyC2pMY
– Nanu. I𓃵 (@Tw33tShoot3r) 2 June 2026
Rajat Patidar??? https://t.co/rVcu7jMfcF
– Cricfan (@Cricfan1845) 2 June 2026
Also read: Captain ft Rajat Patidar who won many trophies in IPL history

