Patidar: 'It's a new season, we are not playing as defending champions'

The loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday was the fourth of IPL 2026 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). When they won their maiden title in IPL 2025, they had lost that many in the entire season.

Does that suggest low intensity in the performances this time? Not at all. in the opinion of their captain Rajat Patidar, who says, "We are not playing with the mindset that we have to defend [the IPL title]."

"We are not playing as defending champions this season," he said at the press conference. which still kept them at No. 3 on the points table, their six wins ensuring that. "We have the opportunity to become champions once again. We have to play an attacking game. We are not playing with a defensive mindset. This is a new season. What we did was in 2025."

Against LSG. where the weather in Lucknow was an irritant, RCB were in the game for large parts of the chase of 210 (in 19 overs). It was the poor powerplay - 45 for 2 -. a slowdown in the middle overs - 29 runs for three wickets - that set them back, leaving them "two shots behind" in the end.

"I will start with Mitchell Marsh. He batted well on this wicket, which was a good batting track. The way he started in the powerplay. I think he put pressure on us," Patidar said of Marsh's 111 in 56 balls. "[But] after that, the way our bowlers controlled it - there was a break in between. it rained - so we got time to think.

"Overall, the way they started. the way we finished, I think I am very satisfied: the way we bowled, the way we controlled the game. We were two shots behind [in the end]. We lost the match by just nine runs."

While that is true, by the end of it, despite Patidar's 61 in 31 balls. the 95-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal for the third wicket off just 53 balls, RCB got where they did only thanks to Tim David's 17-ball 40. And even then they needed 20 off the last over. Digvesh Rathi gave away just ten.

RCB have a 4-1 record in Bengaluru this season, but home is not Bengaluru anymore. They are on the road currently, and play their last two home games in Raipur.

"We never feel that we are playing an away game," Patidar said. "I think this is the speciality of the RCB fans. They come and support us [everywhere]."