'Not going to be easy to win back-to-back titles' - Legendary India spinner gives verdict on RCB ahead of IPL 2026

Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble has given his opinion on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 2026 season, stating that it will be a tough task for captain Rajat Patidar to defend the title that RCB won in 2025. RCB are defending champions from 2025, winning their first ever title in the IPL, with a six-run win over Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad.

The legendary spinner, who represented the Royal Challengers Bengaluru from 2008-2010, believes that it is going to be tough for the team to go back-to-back. However, he praised captain Patidar for how well he did in his first season as captain.

"It's not going to be easy for Rajat Patidar's RCB to win back-to-back titles. Only CSK and MI have managed to win trophies on a continuous basis before. But I think Rajat Patidar has done well as captain in his first season," he said on JioHotstar.

Patidar took over from the departing Faf du Plessis for the 2025 season. After captaining Madhya Pradesh in the domestic circuit, this was Patidar’s first big responsibility. Kumble spoke of how the expectation was that Virat Kohli would take over the reins, having given up captaincy at the end of the 2021 season. He praised the RCB staff for identifying Patidar’s skill for captaincy and giving him the responsibility.

"When he was announced as skipper, many of us were surprised because everyone expected Virat to handle the duties again. But the team management decided to go with Patidar, and it paid off. He only had experience of captaining Madhya Pradesh and did well in domestic cricket. He was identified as the skipper, and with the experience he had, he led really well. Now it will be challenging because expectations will be high. But he looks very composed and calm under pressure. That is his USP. That should work for him," said Kumble.

RCB kick off their title defence on March 28 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.