"It was Virat's 18th IPL" - RCB star opens up on emotions of ending trophy drought in IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Tim David expressed his feelings after the franchise ended their wait for a maiden IPL title. They beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the final of the 2025 season to lift the trophy.

Tim David was acquired by RCB for ₹3 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction. He played a key role for the franchise throughout the season. Opening up on the emotions of victory, the Australian batter felt they were well rewarded. He mentioned the likes of Virat Kohli, who has spent 18 seasons with the franchise, putting in his physical and emotional energy.

"You know what it means to those guys. They've spent years playing there and you invest a lot of physical and emotional energy. The IPL, you're in India for 10-12 weeks, that can get pretty hard. You're under a lot of scrutiny during games. So definitely a super satisfying experience. I've done five IPLs, it was Virat's 18th IPL, he's been there from the start. So its about being a part of the team and enjoying the celebrations together. We certainly felt well rewarded at the end of the season," he said on 'The Unplayable Podcast'. (9:45)

The power-hitter played nine innings for RCB in IPL 2025 and had a massive impact. He scored 187 runs at an average of 62.33 with a strike-rate of 185.14. Unfortunately, he was injured towards the end of the season, missing out on the playoffs and the final. However, he contributed to several important wins during the league stages.

Talking about his personal experience, he said:

"It was a great IPL experience. To have success, winning the trophy. It was incredibly satisfying to be a part of that team. I had a great time. I felt like I was playing really good cricket. A lot of things I had worked on in the lead to that IPL, played out in that middle while I was batting. It brought me success personally and helped the team at times." (8:27)

Tim David added that the injury was worse than expected. However, being a part of a franchise that won its first IPL trophy was incredibly satisfying for the right-hander.

"To get injured at that stage, can't do much about it. Unfortunately, it was a little bit worse than initially thought but I was over there when the boys got the job done at the final and it was incredible to be a part of that. To win a franchise's first trophy, that's incredibly satisfying to be a part of those championships. It makes me hungry to keep improving and keep contributing," he said.

RCB were consistent throughout the season. They finished second in the league stage, winning nine games and gathering 19 points. The side secured a spot in the final by beating PBKS in the first qualifier. Previously, RCB played three finals in 2009, 2011, and 2016 but fell short of the title on each occasion.

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RCB star keen on playing India at home during the white-ball tour

Further, RCB star Tim David expressed his keenness on playing India during their white-ball tour to Australia later this year. The Men in Blue are set to play Australia in a multi-format white-ball series in October-November.

They are scheduled to play three ODIs in Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney, respectively. This will be followed by five T20Is in Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Gold Coast, and Brisbane, respectively.

Deeming India a strong side, David feels that it will be a good platform to assess themselves during the upcoming white-ball series.

"Great to have India playing, playing against India. I don't think I've played them at home yet so that will be nice to have them touring. That will be a good series for us to measure where we're at because they are such a strong powerhouse now, specially in white-ball cricket," he reckoned. (22:12)

Notably, the 2026 T20 World Cup will be held in India and Sri Lanka. The 29-year-old will be eager to present a strong case and make the squad for the marquee tournament next year.

Edited by Rishab Vm