Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s successful defense of the IPL crown should have been a moment of unfiltered celebration. Instead, a social media post shared by the franchise is theirs IPL 2026 The triumph sparked an unexpected debate among fans. RCB, on the other hand, lifted their second consecutive title after the defeat Gujarat Titans In the finale, many fans were left with a question: “Where is Rajat Patidar?”
The controversy started after RCB posted the photo Virat Kohlihead coach Andy Flower and team director You Bobat He poses with the IPL trophy. accompanied by the title, “Three men. One mission. The rest is history. 🏆”the post quickly went viral. But it wasn’t long before fans began to question the absence of the team’s captain. Rajat Patidarfrom a post marking one of the most successful milestones in franchise history.
Three men. A mission. The rest is history. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/HTokoJEW9x
– Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) June 1, 2026
Fans are questioning the absence of title-winning captain Rajat Patidar
The image was meant to celebrate RCB’s landmark achievement of winning back-to-back IPL titles. Although he received a lot of praise, a significant portion of the fans felt that the franchise had overlooked the man who led the team to both championships.
Social media platforms were flooded with reactions from fans who believed that Patidar deserved a place in the post. Many noted that the captain has been instrumental in shaping the team’s success over the past two seasons and should have been a central figure in any title celebration.
For the fans, the point was not to diminish Kohli’s contribution but to recognize the leader who led 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 taking over the managerial duties, he helped RCB break their long wait for their first IPL title in 2025. Rather than being a one-season wonder, the franchise went from strength to strength in 2026 and successfully defended the trophy.
His calm approach, tactical awareness and ability to support his players have won praise from teammates and cricket experts alike. In the 2026 season, Patidar led from the front at crucial moments, including a stunning unbeaten 93 in Qualifier 1 that played a major role in securing RCB’s place in the finals.
By guiding the franchise to back-to-back championships, he joined the exclusive group of IPL captains who have successfully defended their title, cementing his legacy in the tournament.
Virat Kohli’s heroics in the final remain undeniable
Despite the criticism surrounding the post, few fans disputed Kohli’s importance in RCB’s title-winning campaign. The former captain once again delivered at the most important moment, hitting an unbeaten 75-run match winner to help his team cross the finish line in the final.
Kohli’s contributions to RCB over the years have made him one of the franchise’s most popular faces. Therefore, it is understandable that he is in a holiday image. However, many supporters argued that celebrating Kohli and recognizing Patidar’s captaincy achievements should not be mutually exclusive.
Notably, over the years RCB have often been accused of over-reliance on star power as they struggled to convert potential into trophies. The arrival of sustained success under Patidar leadership changed this story. The reaction to the post reflects how much fans value the team’s collective identity. While Kohli continues to be the face of the franchise, supporters believe the team’s recent achievements have been built on strong leadership, smart coaching and a culture that prioritizes results over individual stardom.
Also READ: Oldest 5 oldest cricketers to win Player of the Match award in IPL final Virat Kohli ft.
Here’s how the fans reacted:
I am a die-hard “RCB” fan and I have to admit that Rajat should be the center of these photos and not Virat. End of discussion. https://t.co/EcCbyXMOH7
— Naik Jr. 7️⃣ (@BrunoFernansch8) June 2, 2026
Rajat Patidar was robbed. Bro helped the wrong team win the trophy. He deserves better 💔 https://t.co/1OTTWwrssv
— Gagan🇮🇳 (@1no_aalsi_) June 2, 2026
Why is virat kohli in all these pictures? Why not Rajat Patidar? What did he do wrong? https://t.co/kjrpyusrCD
— Abhinav MSDian™ (@Abhinav_hariom) June 2, 2026
“We worked closely in terms of leadership” But don’t ask me about my leadership or I’ll block you on Instagram😈 https://t.co/vsmVEB9dNT
— Abhishek (@ydvabhi93) June 2, 2026
Unreal credit theft https://t.co/sPz0aEHTi6
— Veer (@pullxshot) June 2, 2026
Stealing credit is not new for virat, he did it with rohit for ICC trophies, now he is doing it with Rajat https://t.co/qqet55kVTr
— RGS45 (@ict_77) June 2, 2026
Funny how the real captain gets overshadowed. Rajat Patidar led the team calmly, took the right decisions and helped RCB win back-to-back, but the focus is solely on Kohli.
Virat Kohli is the biggest credit stealer; He took all the credit for India’s Test… https://t.co/kBuVG7npsI
— JB (@93Yorker) June 3, 2026
Then Ajinkya Rahane, now Rajat Patidar.. we can never beat his unreliable PR game. https://t.co/zpMZxo4hl0 pic.twitter.com/xY3KMcWP56
— ` (@justrohit45) June 3, 2026
RCB captain Rajat Patidar https://t.co/FsCWQOBD3r pic.twitter.com/8ZJHGZjQjv
— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) June 2, 2026
Patidar should be there. He won back to back trophies with his captaincy and performance too! https://t.co/ONU4b4A7Cb
— Virus (@virusbiryani_) June 2, 2026
i feel bad for patidar https://t.co/PbToYWwVpm
— 𝘚𝘭𝘭𝘭 (@notsourlmao) June 2, 2026
Rajat Patidar is out 🥹🥺
it’s amazing https://t.co/0XCC9Sf1o4
— 𝒜𝒾𝒾 𝓊𝒶𝒶𝒶𝒾𝒶𝒶𝒶 ✨ (@GuddiAditi) June 2, 2026
my man is patidar hani 😔💔 https://t.co/WylT5RNVWJ
— bethellexual ⭐️ (@bethellexual) June 3, 2026
Where is Patidar?😅😅 https://t.co/3eK5rpCsys
— ~ A ~ (@L_litlikeamatch) June 2, 2026
Where is Rajat? @RCBTweets https://t.co/AfEXRsEXcG
— Faizal (@Suicidalfaizz) June 2, 2026
rajat patidar where bruhhh 😪😪 https://t.co/z6GUh1rtSV
— Dr. Dark Knight (@darkknight11010) June 2, 2026
He tweeted almost nothing about Patidar
You don’t deserve it bro @rrjjt_01 😢 https://t.co/6FqFC4H7eo— JaiBabu❤️🔥 (@unknown_user26_) June 2, 2026
I feel so bad for rajat patidar he did everything for rcb but they make him a side character to boost kohli PR https://t.co/vwUKVcjlz7
– Mr. villa (@Luccydevil07) June 3, 2026
road @RCBTweets and their PR team sidelines their captain and instead hypes up every post involving Kohli. https://t.co/OIp6EiZcVr
— Swarad Mokal 🇮🇳 (@swarad07) June 3, 2026
Who is your captain? https://t.co/u5FXko5QUw
– pun. life (@mindkhichdi) June 3, 2026
Rajat Patidar should be the center here…. https://t.co/2pyBLUv4BC
— Sigma Mode On🙅♂️ (@MrPrajjvalViews) June 3, 2026
Rajat Patidar should quit RCB.
He never gets the attention he deserves because every conversation ends up being about Virat Kohli. By the logic some people use for Jaiswal, Rajat can never be the face of the franchise unless Kohli is gone. https://t.co/MzaYKFCceS
— CM (@Royals_33) June 3, 2026
Such a Shameless Franchise. Why Virat Chokli is included and Rajat is excluded 🤡 https://t.co/m509HNH0Lr
— Ichigo Kurosaki – Substitute Shinigami (@Bahurudeen7777) June 3, 2026
But till Captain Rajat Patidar ??? https://t.co/hNxILB0zHW
— MS (@T20wc24India) June 2, 2026
Disrespect to Rajat Patidar is not real. 0 hype by RCB official page despite gifting them 2 trophies https://t.co/xW5gyC2pMY
– Naanu. I𓃵 (@Tw33tShoot3r) June 2, 2026
Raja Patidar??? https://t.co/rVcu7jMfcF
— Cricfan (@Cricfan1845) June 2, 2026
Also READ: Most trophy winning captains in IPL history ft. Rajat Patidar
