Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, shared how the short break during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) helped the team in their journey to a maiden title. The team was moving strongly towards the end of the tournament when unexpected events stopped the campaign for a while.

Although RCB were in a good position for the playoffs, they had not yet secured a place in the top two. The team also faced many injury problems. Skipper Rajat Patidar and key bowler Josh Hazlewood both struggled with serious issues. Devdutt Padikkal was ruled out completely due to a hamstring tear, and Mayank Agarwal was named as his replacement.

Break Helped RCB Recover Physically

From a workload point of view, the break came at the right time for RCB. Rajat Patidar healed enough to play as an impact player in the first few matches after the break. In his absence, Jitesh Sharma led the side. Josh Hazlewood recovered in Australia and later rejoined the team for the knockout stage.

Mo Bobat explained the situation: “We had some injuries and niggles. Rajat had fractured his knuckle. Josh Hazlewood’s shoulder problem came up. Dev [Padikkal] had a hamstring issue. The schedule was very tough and the players were tired. So, there were pros and cons. I just wanted the players to recover and be ready. That’s why I was glad the break was not too long.”

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He added: “Mentally, the break came at a bad time because we were in good form and playing well. You don’t want to lose that momentum. But physically, it was a good time. We had played seven games in 21 or 22 days, with a lot of travel. It was probably the toughest schedule any team had.”

RCB struggled a bit after the break. Their home match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was washed out. Their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) was shifted to Lucknow due to bad weather in Bengaluru, where they lost by 42 runs.

Overseas Players Given Full Choice

When the tournament was suspended midway because of the war situation, many overseas players left the country. Some even said they would not return.

Mo Bobat remembered the talks with the squad: “The moment we heard about the postponement, Andy and I met the overseas players. We wanted to treat them like adults. If they didn’t feel safe and wanted to go home, we respected that. At no point did we try to force them to stay. We gave them full choice.”

When the tournament restarted, RCB had almost a full squad. Only Jacob Bethell and Lungi Ngidi were missing, as they were called for international duty by England and South Africa.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, Rajat Patidar, was at the helm of the franchise in the 2025 season and broke the franchise's 18-year-old curse to lift its maiden title. Virat Kohli, the former captain, played a huge role in the success of making the Madhya Pradesh player their new leader of the side.

In a recent interview, Mo Bobat, the director of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), shared the story that the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli, was a strong pillar behind the announcement of Patidar as the leader of the Bengaluru side. He shared the story of how they tracked Patidar as the captain of MP to follow his calmness and process of leadership in domestic cricket.

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“We spoke with Virat Kohli that Patidar was going to be the new captain, and Virat said, '100% I'm there to help. It's in all of our interests if Rajat succeeds. Let's give this a go. It was brilliant to have Virat's blessing and his approval.” Mo Bobat told during a recent interaction on Cricbuzz.

Mo Bobat explains story of appointing Rajat Patidar as RCB captain for IPL 2025

The 32-year-old, Rajat Patidar, smashed 312 runs in 14 innings at an average of 24 and a strike rate of 143.77 during the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League with the help of two half-centuries at the best score of 64. During the 2024 season of the league, he cracked 395 runs in 13 innings at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 177 with five fifties.

“These fans (of RCB) waited for 18 years, so we wanted to do it for them, and for some of them to have lost their lives just feels incredibly sad. We look forward to being able to recognize those people and their families. Their stories have become a part of our history now. The fact is, RCB were going to win the IPL at some stage. That’s a fact. In another 100 years, they will win it one, right? Why not us?” Bobat addressed.

In the title-winning campaign, Virat Kohli smacked 657 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71 with the help of eight half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 73 runs.