“I thought we were about 10 runs short” - RCB director’s massive statement on IPL 2025 final vs PBKS

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, revealed that he felt the team recorded a slightly below-par total in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) Final against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium. After being put into bat first, the Rajat Patidar-led side posted 190 on the board, courtesy of Virat Kohli's 43 as well as several quick-fire cameos.

PBKS had chased down a 204-run target in the Qualifier 2 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the same venue, and had several in-form batters, including skipper Shreyas Iyer. They were off to a decent start as Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh put on 43 runs for the first wicket, before Phil Salt's stunning juggling catch on the ropes brought RCB their first breakthrough in the fifth over.

RCB were able to pull things back in the middle overs, with Shreyas Iyer's dismissal for just 1 off Romario Shepherd's bowling in the 10th over proving to be a crucial moment in the game. Krunal Pandya delivered a match-winning spell of 2-17, as Shashank Singh's fifty ended up being in vain.

"If I'm honest, at half-time, I know some commentators thought we might have been 30 runs short. I thought we were about 10 runs short. I thought 200 was about right. But I thought we were one of the best bowling attacks in the competition, so we could earn those 10 runs back. I also thought chasing in a final had some pressure," Mo Bobat said in an interview with Cricbuzz.

The RCB Director admitted that upon rewatching the match after the win, he felt that the team were in control for most of the time in the second innings. The bowlers had strangled the PBKS middle order completely after the powerplay, and the required run rate kept climbing out of reach.

"A couple of days later, DK and I and a couple of the coaches watched the final back because I wanted to re-watch it ball by ball. When I went back a bit more impartially, I felt a bit more comfortable in the second innings, feeling like we were in a good place. But when you're in the game, you feel more nervous than that, of course you do," he added.

Interestingly, RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had admitted that the side had posted more than the par score on the surface as the bowling unit were confident about the prospect of defending the 180-run mark.

"We don't want to be waiting 18 years for the next victory, for the next trophy" - Mo Bobat aims for more after RCB ends trophy drought

RCB had to endure a gruelling 18-year wait for their first-ever IPL title. Now that the first silverware is out of the way, the franchise will be on the lookout to make the most of the momentum. With a solid core, and a well-rounded squad, the Rajat Patidar-led side have to ensure that their IPL 2025 triumph is not just a one-off.

Mo Bobat outlined what "new RCB" aims to achieve in the remainder of the ongoing three-year cycle and beyond.

"I haven't come here to only win one IPL. I'd like us to win several IPLs so this is a start, and the speed at which we achieved that is good - mainly because I think we were brave enough to do things differently, that's why I'm satisfied. I was satisfied when we qualified for top-two, but I was still hungry for us to go all the way. I don't like using the word 'legacy', but what I'm clear on is that we are part of this "new RCB" that I described earlier. We don't want to be waiting 18 years for the next victory, for the next trophy... we're too good a franchise to be doing that and too good a team of players," Mo Bobat explained.

"What we've done might be unique in RCB's history but it's not unique in the IPL - there's seven other teams that have done it, so let's not tell ourselves that it's unique. We should enjoy it, be proud of it, be proud that we were able to do it for our fans because they've been the most patient. But we've got to set our standards high and our bar high, and we should be trying to achieve an era of success," he concluded.

RCB will have the opportunity to polish their title-winning squad during the IPL 2026 mini-auction during the off-season.