Following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s five-wicket victory to secure back-to-back championships, head coach Andy Flower praised the impact of veteran Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the team`s experienced core.
Bhuvneshwar was in sensational form throughout the IPL 2026 season, taking 28 wickets, just one short of the Purple Cap winner, Kagiso Rabada of the Gujarat Titans. This followed an impressive 17-wicket haul in their 2025 championship run.
“Bhuvi has been outstanding for these last two seasons, and it`s arguable that we wouldn`t have had our success at all over the last two seasons if he hadn`t been producing performances under pressure repeatedly that he`s done over the last two seasons,” Flower said in a press conference.
The former Zimbabwe captain added that the franchise gained a massive advantage by fielding players who are well-versed in high-stakes international cricket and intense rivalries like the Ashes. He further added that having seasoned leaders who inject a sense of serenity and belief into the squad during tense moments was important for RCB`s title win.
“We`re lucky to have some of the personnel in our dressing room. And we`re lucky that they can influence the group in such a calm and positive manner,” he said.
“We`ve got some characters in our dressing room that inspire that level of calmness and confidence. We`ve spoken at length about Virat (Kohli) already, but bowlers like (Josh) Hazlewood and Bhuvi and KP (Krunal Pandya), those guys are calm under pressure,” he added.
Andy Flower admits being nervous during the final
Despite RCB`s clinical performance in the final, Andy Flower admitted that there were nerves in the dressing room.
“It`s also fair to say that you said you didn`t observe many nerves. There would have been a lot of nervous people in our dressing room, in our dugout. I was certainly one of them,” he said
“But that deeper level of confidence that comes from testing yourselves against good opposition or in challenging circumstances, and proving to yourself as a group that you are not only able to handle whatever`s thrown at you, but you`re able to thrive in that high-pressure environment, that produces real confidence,” he concluded.