'Sher ko khoon mooh lag gaya hai': Tendulkar, Pathan & others shower praise on RCB after historic title defence

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic IPL 2026 triumph triggered a flood of reactions from former cricketers, fans and experts, with many praising the franchise for successfully defending their title and becoming only the third team in IPL history to win back-to-back championships.

RCB defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to lift their second consecutive IPL trophy. Just a year after ending an 18-year wait for their maiden title, the Bengaluru franchise has now joined the exclusive club of teams that have retained the IPL crown, alongside Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

Virat Kohli once again played a starring role in the final, remaining unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls as RCB comfortably chased down 156 with two overs to spare. Venkatesh Iyer's explosive 32 off 16 balls gave the chase early momentum, while Tim David added a useful 24.

Tendulkar, Pathan & others react

The victory led to several congratulatory messages on social media. Legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar praised RCB for their consistency throughout the season and congratulated the players for defending the title successfully. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan summed up RCB's dominance after winning their first trophy last season as he posted: "Sher ko khoon mooh lag gaya hai."

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The title defence marks one of the biggest transformations in IPL history. For years, RCB were known as a team that came close but failed to win the trophy. They lost finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 before finally ending their drought in 2025. Now, just one year later, they are no longer chasing history. They are creating it with back-to-back titles.