Royal Challengers Bengaluru

For seventeen seasons Royal Challengers Bengaluru were the most thrilling franchise never to win the IPL. Since joining the tournament in 2008, RCB built a reputation for jaw-dropping batting power, spectacular chases and more heartbreak than almost any other side, losing finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016. Then, in 2025, the wait ended: with Virat Kohli still at the heart of the batting and Rajat Patidar leading, RCB beat Punjab Kings in the final to lift their first title, setting off celebrations that spilled across Bengaluru.

The side's identity has been shaped by an extraordinary run of match-winners. Anil Kumble, Jacques Kallis and Chris Gayle set the tone in the early years, with Gayle's 175 not out against Pune Warriors in 2013 still the highest individual score in IPL history. Later, Kohli's relentless run-scoring, including 973 runs in the 2016 season, an IPL record, and AB de Villiers' impossible strokeplay turned RCB into must-watch television. More recently, homegrown talents like Devdutt Padikkal and Patidar have carried that flair, while imports such as Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood added the experience that finally carried the franchise over the line.