"I know people talk about it a lot" - When Virat Kohli opened up on RCB not winning the IPL

"Ee sala cup namde" (this year the cup is ours) is a dream that Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) fans and players share in unison every Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The Bengaluru franchise has come close to winning the IPL a few times. They finished runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016. RCB has also made it to the playoffs in four of the last five IPL seasons.

Despite having a strong side on paper, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have failed to go all the way even once. As a result, the 'ee sala cup namde' hope has turned into a meme. Former captain and batting legend Virat Kohli, who has been part of the franchise since the league's inception in 2008, has also been criticized for his inability to lift the franchise to victory in the IPL.

Speaking ahead of the 2019 edition, when he was still leading RCB, Kohli shared his thoughts on the franchise's failure to win the T20 league despite the presence of several big names. He stated that he had tried his best, but lamented that things did not go their way. The batting star said (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):

"Obviously, you want to win the IPL. I am doing what I am supposed to do. I don't care whether I am going to be judged on this [not winning IPL] or not. There is no real, sort of, parameters you set. I try to perform wherever I can. I try to win all the possible titles, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. We have to be practical about why we haven't won one. That boils down to bad decision-making in pressure situations.

Reacting to all the chatter around Royal Challengers Bengaluru's failure to win the IPL, Kohli downplayed the excessive talk and replied:

"If I think like people from outside, I can't even sustain five games. I would be sitting at home. I know people talk about it a lot and they like to grab opportunities to talk about these things. But I have a responsibility here and given a chance, as a captain, I would love to win the IPL for my team. We all are motivated to do so."

RCB had a horror season in 2019, finishing in last place in the eight-team competition. They won only five and lost eight of their 14 matches, while one game produced no result.

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RCB's mixed IPL 2024 season

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a rather bizarre run in the IPL 2024 season. The Faf du Plessis-led side got off to a disastrous start, losing seven of their first eight matches. They were on the verge of getting knocked out. However, in an incredible turnaround, they won six matches in a row to qualify for the playoffs.

RCB, however, went down to Rajasthan Royals (RR) by four wickets in the Eliminator in Ahmedabad. They failed to defend a total of 172 as Rajasthan Royals got home in 19 overs.