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Tim David Nearly Damages BCCI Property After RCB's IPL 2026 Final Victory

Cricket Gully | June 4, 2026 3:44 AM CST

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally, had their long wait for an IPL trophy sort of done last year, and then on Sunday evening in Ahmedabad they somehow managed to defend their title by winning IPL 2026. While the Rajat Patidar-led side was celebrating with the trophy, there was also this Australian power-hitter Tim David that grabbed a lot of attention, for an unusual little moment during the whole festivities.

In the big final, RCB’s bowling unit really stepped up exactly when it mattered. Rasikh Salam Dar was the standout, putting up figures of 3/27 as Gujarat Titans were kept to 155/8. And during the chase, Virat Kohli once again showed his class, staying not out on 75 and quietly steering his team towards yet another championship.

As Kohli played one of those trademark innings, Tim David kept things ticking along from the other end, after RCB had that little mid-overs wobble. Their 41 run partnership for the fifth wicket might not land in the tournament s top most remembered combinations, but it ended up mattering a lot in how the match actually turned out.

After RCB’s IPL 2026 triumph, Tim David was seen having a cheeky, light-hearted moment with Champak the AI powered robot that the BCCI rolled out. During the team’s trophy photos, David jokingly pretended to kick the robot, like he was just trying to spook it a bit, as if that was the whole point of the celebrations.

The IPL rolled out that AI-driven mascot thing, mostly as an entertainment and broadcast related upgrade, or however you want call it. Fans then picked the name "Champak" via an online poll, which was held ahead of the prior season, so yeah it felt sort of timely.

After he stepped in as captain before IPL 2025, Rajat Patidar has reshaped RCB’s situation in a big way. His calm leadership approach plus the thoughtful playbook work from the coaching team, has pushed the Bengaluru franchise into being one of the league’s sturdier sides, rather quickly.

Patidar did more than just stop RCB’s 18-year title drought. He also guided them to back to back IPL triumphs. Because of that run, RCB now stand among the most successful franchises in IPL history, sitting just behind Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders, honestly it’s hard to ignore.

Before RCBs back to back triumphs, only Chennai, and Mumbai had managed to defend an IPL title. CSK did it in 2010, and 2011, while Mumbai Indians pulled off the same sort of repeat in 2019 and 2020. Both franchises then also sent their wishes to RCB, on becoming part of this rather rare club. Also kind of interesting, Kolkata Knight Riders had already grabbed two IPL titles, within a span of just three seasons.

With the next mega auction lined up before IPL 2028, RCB’s current main set of players Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will get a chance to chase something bigger. Like, a third straight title maybe, or at least that’s the target.

Also Read | Former England Cricketer Blasts Gujarat Titans' IPL Final Tactics After Defeat to RCB

No IPL team has ever actually won three straight championships. Still, Oval Invincibles managed to do it in The Hundred by taking the tournament in 2023, in 2024 and then 2025. That kind of run is still doable for Patidar and his teammates, but the IPL itself, with its depth of rivals, feels like a much tougher mountain to climb.

With cameras and more advanced sensors, Champak was brought in to boost fan involvement and also broadcasting coverage. Its main job is to pull in unusual pitch-side views and angles that the usual traditional cameras and camera operators, often just can’t manage to get in the moment.