Star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru fully deserved its back-to-back IPL titles, crediting the collective effort of the team over the last two seasons for the historic achievement.

RCB defended their title with a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, becoming only the third team in tournament history to win consecutive championships.

Reflecting on the achievement, Bhuvneshwar said the success was the result of contributions from every member of the squad.

“I think the way RCB have waited all these years, they deserve to win back-to-back titles. I think everyone gets credit for it. The way the team has been performing for the past two years, I don’t think anyone is dependent on the player. It’s not an easy task to win back-to-back, but I think it was a great job by everyone,” he said.

Bhuvneshwar himself enjoyed an excellent season, finishing with 28 wickets and playing a key role in RCB’s title-winning campaign. Looking back on his performances, the veteran seamer expressed satisfaction with how his plans came together throughout the tournament.

“Individually, it’s been a very great season. A lot of things have gone well. Execution has been good. Execution after the thought process has worked. So I think it was a good season for me, for sure.

“There is no bigger highlight than winning the trophy, for which we work hard for 2-3 months. All teams do it – it’s not that we don’t. But to end up with the trophy, I think it takes a lot. So, we have done that,” he said.

Batting all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who played a crucial role in RCB’s successful campaign, described the title triumph as one of the most memorable moments of his career.

“I’ve played a couple of finals before, but this felt totally different. It felt as if the entire country were playing with us. I saw on social media people praying for us, people doing aartis and what not for RCB.

“It should not come across as a shock that we made the finals or we won because the way we played our cricket, the way we played this season, I think we’re deserving champions. But congratulations to GT as well for an amazing campaign.

“Two best teams played it out in the final, and for us, it was our day. It’s something that I’ll be cherishing for a very long time. I would like to thank God for this day. For allowing me the opportunity to represent this team and bring glory to it,” he added.

Iyer also reserved special praise for captain Rajat Patidar and Bhuvneshwar.

“I think this season, the way Rajat has carried himself with the bat and as a leader, I think he’s been a standout performer for us. But my vote for the player of the season for RCB has to go to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He shows us that vintage is always special. Keeps things very basic, but so effective. It was such a pleasure to watch him in his full flow,” Iyer said.