Virat Kohli said it is his dream to win an Indian Premier League (IPL) title with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as he expressed his desire to double up the trophies for the franchise after Smriti Mandhana & Co. won their maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) title on Sunday. Mandhana-led RCB defeated Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets in the final to lift the elusive trophy in their second attempt. They brought an end to RCB’s 16-year-long trophy drought across all competitions. Kohli has been part of the RCB franchise right from the inception of the IPL in 2008 but has yet to win the IPL with the team. RCB have come close to winning the IPL trophy on three occasions in 2009, 2011 and 2016 but have failed to go the distance. RCB are one of the only three teams to have been part of the IPL since 2008 but have not lifted the trophy yet. Kohli, who has been one of the most consistent performers for the franchise, is the leading run-getter of all time in the tournament and has also captained the franchise for 9 seasons but is yet to win the trophy. However, after Mandhana & Co.’s WPL triumph, Kohli sees a ray of hope for the Faf du Plessis-led men’s team as well. “It was absolutely amazing. When they won it (WPL), we were watching. Hopefully, we can double it up with the trophies and that will be something truly special,” Kohli said about RCB’s WPL title win during RCB Unbox event on Tuesday. “That's a dream of mine to know what it feels like winning an IPL trophy. I will be here, be a part of the team that wins the trophy for the first time. I will try my very best with my abilities, my experience to be able to do that for the fans and the franchise,” he added. The RCB men’s team also gave a guard of honour to Mandhana & Co. at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday in honour of their WPL title victory. RCB also changed their name from Royal Challengers Bangalore to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Unbox event.

Three playoffs in last 4 seasons for RCB

RCB have qualified for the playoffs three times in the last four seasons. They made it to the knockout stages in three consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2022 before failing to make the cut last year. RCB managed only 7 wins from 14 matches last season and finished sixth on the points table with 14 points. They will be hoping to produce an improved show this year and make it to the playoffs once again as they aim to finally bring an end to their IPL title drought.