Fans’ Superstitions That Worked for RCB to Win Their First IPL Trophy in the 18th Season

The hardcore fans of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have long held their sentimental beliefs that the 18th Season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) could help the franchise break their title drought. 

One such popular theory was the emotional coincidence between the IPL season number 18 and Virat Kohli’s iconic jersey number 18. Ahead of the season’s commencement, several trolls flooded social media, deeming such beliefs to be baseless and superstitious. 

Surprisingly, their hopes were converted into reality when Bengaluru pulled off a sensational 6-run victory against Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final. 

RCB’s triumph after 18 years isn’t just a win. Rather, it fulfills the years of dedication, rage, and uncompromised faith from their fans. 

Ultimately, Bengaluru’s first-ever title victory in the 18th season has made their success feel like destiny accomplished after years of failure in IPL playoffs. 

It would be intriguing to find out how fans’ superstitions became true for RCB to break their losing jinx in IPL finals to claim their maiden championship title.  

An Upgrade from ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde’ to ‘Ee Sala Cup Namdu’

The iconic chant in Kannada, “Ee Sala Cup Namde,” has been booming for years, which means  “This Year the Cup will be Ours”. This chanting has become a ray of hope and excitement for all RCB fans in every IPL season. 

Finally, the prayers of fans added a positive vibe to the chants that helped Bengaluru’s fortunes change under Rajat Patidar’s captaincy to shed the chokers tag and become the league’s new champions. 

The former RCB players AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle wore the team’s jersey to join the celebrations with Virat Kohli. The trio batters chanted “Ee Sala Cup Namdu”, which means “The Cup is Finally Ours”. This is an upgraded version of the usual fan chant of “Ee Sala Cup Namde”. 

Kohli’s Destiny in the 18th Season of IPL 

Virat Kohli has been the face of RCB since its inception in the inaugural season in 2008 and scored 9000+ runs for his team, which is the most by any player in the T20 format. 

He dedicated his efforts in all 18 IPL seasons for the same franchise, wearing the jersey number 18.  Fans strongly believed that this coincidence would certainly help him lift the first IPL trophy. This is one such prediction that turned out to be real. 

Second Place Finish in the Points Table To Win the IPL Trophy 

Ever since the playoff system was introduced in 2011, the teams that finished in second position on the points table have most often won IPL titles. 

However, the trolls escalated to the highest level as some argued that this sentiment wouldn’t apply to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, having concluded second in the 2016 edition’s points table under Kohli’s captaincy. 

Still, the ardent fans of the franchise hoped for RCB to secure a second spot in the league stages, as this position historically favored the title winners. As expected, Punjab Kings topped the IPL 2025 points table, leaving Bengaluru in the second spot. 

Only Mumbai Indians (in 2017, 2019, and 2020), Gujarat Titans (in 2022), and Kolkata Knight Riders (in 2024) have lifted the trophy as table toppers. 

In reality, the No.2 spot has proven to be a golden position, holding nine title wins with RCB being the latest entrant to the list in the following ways:

Notably, Sunrisers Hyderabad is the only team that won the IPL 2016 trophy despite finishing third in the points table. 

Strings of Nimbu Mirchi and RCB Flag to cut off the Evil Force

Before the commencement of the IPL 2025 final, a social media post became viral, which showcased a car decorated with strings of ‘nimbu-mirchi’ and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s flags. This was one such belief to safeguard RCB’s historic IPL final from the evil eye (commonly called ‘nazar’ in India). 

However, users on X reacted to the post with hilarious comments. One such user criticized that the individual might sell lemonade using the same lemons if RCB loses in the title clash. 

Surprisingly, this is one such unexpected superstition that turned out to break RCB’s curse in the IPL final. 

RCB Should Bat First To Win IPL Final 

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss left the fans of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cheerful. This was because RCB lost three IPL finals in 2009, 2011, and 2016 while chasing targets. 

Surprisingly, RCB got an opportunity to bat first in an IPL final for the first time. And the match’s outcome turned out to be a historic victory for the team. This is yet another strong belief of fans that has been converted into reality, and here is a proven fact:

Virat Kohli’s 43-Run Knock Reminiscent of the Champions Trophy 2013 Final 

A particular section of users on social media trolled Virat Kohli for scoring 43 runs off 35 balls in a high-pressure IPL 2025 final against the Punjab Kings. Interestingly, the right-handed batter’s score coincided with his 43-run knock in the Champions Trophy 2013 final, where India triumphed against England by 5 runs. 

Likewise, Kohli’s anchoring innings contributed to a winning cause for RCB, and here is an intriguing comparison of his performance:

This was one of the most unimaginable superstitions of RCB fans that became real when the franchise succeeded in breaking their losing streak in the IPL finals.