India, March 21 -- Ravichandran Ashwin has offered a strong early endorsement of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title defence, saying the defending champions have built a squad strong enough to win one more IPL crown in the next couple of seasons. His comments matter because they come at a time when RCB are no longer being judged as a talented but flawed side. After ending their long wait for a first title in 2025, they now enter IPL 2026 with the pressure and expectation that come with being defending champions.

RCB had gone into the 2025 mega auction after retaining only Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal, before rebuilding with a more rounded group. That overhaul brought in players such as Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewoo...