IPL 2026: 'Back-to-back champions after years of heartbreak,' says Sindhu in congratulatory post for RCB
New Delhi, June 1
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu joined the celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's successful IPL title defence, sharing a heartfelt and humorous message that paid tribute to the franchise's long-awaited rise and its passionate fanbase.
Sindhu, who has been based in Bengaluru in recent years, began her Instagram post with a light-hearted observation linking her move to the city with RCB's recent success.
"RCB fans, I am not saying I am the lucky charm. But I moved to Bangalore and suddenly you have won the trophy every year since. Do the maths. Huge congratulations to the incredible RCB team, the players, the staff, the ownership and the fans," Sindhu wrote in an Instagram post.
The two-time Olympic medallist acknowledged the emotional journey that supporters have endured over the years before finally witnessing sustained success and also reserved special praise for entrepreneur Ananya Birla and her family, who became part of the franchise's ownership group before RCB's recent run of success.
"This franchise has carried so much emotion, madness, heartbreak, belief and love over the years, and to see it become back-to-back champions is truly special. A big congratulations to my dear friend @ananyabirla and her wonderful family as well. To become owners and immediately win a championship is some serious main character energy. What a start," she added.
The badminton star admitted there was one scenario she would have loved to witness in this year's tournament, a final between her hometown franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB.
"Of course, a Hyderabad vs RCB final would have been the dream. SRH vs RCB would have emotionally destroyed all of us in the best way. But Bangalore, you deserved this. After years of heartbreak. Back-to-back champions," she stated.
On the badminton front, Sindhu's campaign at the recent Singapore Open ended in the quarter-finals, where she lost to world No. 1 An Se-young. The Indian shuttler had looked in strong touch earlier in the tournament, recording straight-games victories over Putri Kusuma Wardani and Riko Gunji before running into the top-seeded South Korean.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Lovely gesture from Sindhu! She’s one of India’s greatest athletes and seeing her support RCB warms the heart. That line about SRH vs RCB final would have emotionally destroyed us is so true! Maybe next year we get that clash. 🔥
I’ve been following IPL since the beginning and RCB’s turnaround is incredible. Sindhu’s post captures the essence of why we love this league—emotion, passion, and celebration. Great to see cross-sport camaraderie in India too.
I really appreciate Sindhu's humility here. She deserves credit for staying grounded despite being a two-time Olympic medalist. That said, I hope she focuses on her badminton career—she looked strong in Singapore until Se-young. Wishing her more success on court! 🏸
"Main character energy" is the perfect phrase for Ananya Birla! So happy to see women entrepreneurs shine in sports ownership. RCB's journey from Ee Sala Cup Namde to back-to-back champions shows what belief and consistent management can achieve. 👏
Sindhu's humor is spot on. But let's be honest, RCB's success is more about smart auctions and team spirit than any lucky charm. Nonetheless, it's wonderful to see Indian sports stars supporting each other across disciplines. Kudos to the entire RCB squad!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.