India, June 1 -- It took Royal Challengers Bengaluru 18 years to win their first IPL title. Now, there are many examples of teams having a season where everything finally falls into place but are unable to repeat that success.

By successfully defending their IPL crown on Sunday, RCB have showed signs of starting a new era, like that of five-time champions CSK and MI. That they are a force to reckon with and have the right systems in place, the hallmark of a seasoned outfit.

RCB performed better than in 2025, dominating every opponent and putting on a superb show in the final in Ahmedabad against Gujarat Titans. The table-toppers outplayed GT twice within a week, showing different areas of strength in those wins. In Qualifier 1, it was R...