Royal Challengers Bangalore

The team of Loyal fans, numerous records, a King, and no Cup.

It was the year 2013, where for the first time I watched this team along with my grandpa and fell in love with this team due it containing the name Bangalore.

Interestingly, the first Cricket match that I remember clearly was the match where Chris Gayle went into Beast mode and hit sixes upon sixes in M Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore. It was a highly entertaining match and still pissed we could not see the Presentation Ceremony on TV because the next match had already started. Then it was a lukewarm season with highs and many lows but that changed in 2016.

As 2016 was the year where our Captain and AB made us believe that we will win that damned trophy. As a person who only saw other teams entering the finals and lifting the trophy, it became my dream to see my favourites players lift the trophy.

That final was supposed to be a dream moment, Virat with 900+ runs and orange cap, ABD making sure to win us the Qualifier 1 with GL, the final being in Chinnaswamy, our home ground, RCB having to chase a target which was easy given the form of their Batters, and yet it wasn't meant to be. That Final will haunt every RCB fan for years to come.

After a rather few forgettable seasons, RCB gave us hope in 2020 and 2021, and yet it became that student that does well in the class but fails on the day of exam. Those two seasons had a more balanced team than the 2016 team where it was only Virat and AB with a few cameos making us reach the finals.

2022 came around and the entire structure of RCB changed. ABD retired. If Virat has been the soul of RCB, then ABD its heart. There was that stupid faith in every RCBian even after fall of 2 or 3 wickets, that ABD would be there to save us. ABD who had the nickname 'ApathBandava' would no longer play for RCB.

The Management also didn't buy back Yuzvendra 'Yuzi' Chahal, the spinner who has the most wickets in a Batting Paradise as Chinnaswamy Stadium. Yuzi, another constant and well known Rcbian who was in the team since 2014, was not brought by Rcb management. Still cannot believe that he isn't an RCB player.

2022 was the year, I had no hope for anything. Yet the team reached Qualifier 2 with a proper team performance. Yet I didn't dare to hope that our RCB would lift the trophy. Such is the life of an RCBian.

2023 was great. Not according to their performance, but according to my expectations of the team. As a great guy, Mr. Nags, said "Expectations keep it low, if we win, we win, or else we have 16 years of collective experience in overcoming this sadness." So, it was not surprising when RCB didn't even qualify for Playoffs that year.

Introduction of Women's Premiere League and especially RCB making a bid for its own team had me scoffing in disbelief.

As if one team losing badly wasn't enough, these people want us to support another team which would have great players, but either fumble in the group stage or choke in the worst way possible.

I was proven right in 2023, when RCBW won 2 games out of 8 games and didn't even come close to qualifying for the Playoffs let alone the Finals.

So going into 2024, where I was sort of detached from Cricket and trying to not get attached to any cricket team after some events of 19th Nov of 2023, I watched RCBW matches with no hopes, and no expectations.

The first five league stage matches RCBW matches were in Chinnaswamy and the stadium was filled whether it be a weekday or a weekend. I used to pity those idiots who believed that their favourite team could ever win anything.

Matches shifted to Delhi, where RCBW had to win only one match to qualify, and they lost two. That loss against DCW gave me some unwanted flashbacks of another Wicketkeeper/Batsman crying on the field, and another bowler who was being consoled by others.

The match against MIW on Tuesday as well as Friday shocked me. I was genuinely surprised when RCBW won and had chalked it off for luck. RCB with its track record of choking in the worst way possible managed to defeat the Defending Champions and the credit to goes to our blowers and all-rounders. But damn, the Semi Final, for becoming the sole reason of our increased anxiety. Those last three overs became the turning point of the match. These girls proved that 'Never say Never.'

I was fully prepared to not watch the Finals and see posts about RCB loss yet again.

DC Women's team led by Meg Lanning has been The Team of this season. RCBW had not won a single game against them and with the way they performed throughout the season and how DCW were No. 1 on the points table, I expected it was given that they will win.

And yet as the fate would have it, RCBW managed to win by brilliant team performance. This proves that having the best team, best players or even the best records are not good enough if you don't perform on the day where it actually matters.

RCB with Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil and Asha Shobhana manged to keep the target low and Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh made sure that they bring home the trophy.

The emotions that I felt when RCB won, would be difficult to describe as I didn't know whether I was crying or laughing with Joy.

Still couldn't believe that RCB won. Some might want to call it luck, or rare occurrence or anything. Doesn't even make an iota of difference in the way every RCBian feels right now.

So, troll Rcb, make your memes, make those "funny" jokes, we RCBians are going to continue supporting this TrophyLess team. That's right, RCB has a trophy. Wonder what the jokes are going to be about now.

Thank you , Shreyanka Patil, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Molineux, Shobhna Asha, Richa Ghosh, Gerogia Wareham, and the entire team and Support Staff of RCB Women for the fabulous and fantastic Trophy.

Sincerely,

An RCBian

The fastest post to reach 1M likes on Instagram. 

Video call from Virat as soon as the match got over. 

Still can't believe we won!!!!!! Nazar na lage.