'Virat Kohli is heartbeat of our dressing room': Coach Andy Flower after RCB's IPL 2026 triumph

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower hailed Virat Kohli after the franchise successfully retained its Indian Premier League (IPL) title with a victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2026 final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Flower described Kohli as the role model within the RCB camp and praised the veteran batter for setting a powerful example through his dedication and fearless approach.

RCB became only the third franchise in IPL history, after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, to defend the championship successfully. Led by Rajat Patidar, the side first restricted GT to 155/8 before chasing down the target with five wickets in hand and two overs to spare.

Speaking in a video shared by RCB on X, Flower highlighted Kohli’s influence on the team, calling him the emotional core of the dressing room.

"Virat, I know you get a lot of attention and quite rightly. But I don't want to downplay that because you are a heartbeat in this dressing room. And the courage that you continually show to go out there and put yourself on the line and take on high-quality opposition is a bloody great role modelling for all of us," Flower said in the video.

Flower further acknowledged that Kohli often attracts significant attention, but stressed that his importance to the squad goes far beyond public recognition. According to the coach, Kohli’s willingness to shoulder responsibility and compete fearlessly against the best players in the world makes him an exceptional role model for the entire group.

"When I think of our season, and I particularly think of the last couple of games in the playoffs, what really stands out for me is the bravery of you guys in the middle. There's been countless examples of it. But when you're playing at the top level, and that's Test cricket or World Cups or IPL, you need to be obviously highly skilful. You need to have cricket intelligence, but you really need to have heart. And we've seen that in abundance this year," Flower said.

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In the final, Gujarat Titans struggled to build momentum after being asked to bat first. Washington Sundar top-scored with an unbeaten 50 off 37 deliveries, while Nishant Sindhu contributed 20. RCB’s bowlers kept the pressure on throughout the innings, with Rasikh Dar Salam claiming 3/27, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood picked up two wickets each.

RCB’s chase began strongly through a 62-run opening partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Kohli. Although GT fought back and reduced the defending champions to 132/5, Kohli remained composed, finishing unbeaten on 75 from 42 balls. His innings, featuring nine boundaries and three sixes, steered RCB to victory with 12 balls remaining.

The triumph secured RCB’s second IPL crown and added another milestone to the franchise’s growing trophy collection, which also includes two Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles, taking their tally of major Indian franchise cricket trophies to four.