IPL 2026: Dinesh Karthik on RCB fans, Andy Flower, and a title to defend
Synopsis
Dinesh Karthik's tribute to RCB fans — calling them the people who made him — is the headline, but the real story is his unqualified ranking of Andy Flower as the world's best coach 'by a distance.' With RCB already through to the IPL 2026 playoffs and top of the table, the defending champions look primed for a historic back-to-back run.
Key Takeaways
Dinesh Karthik said RCB fans 'adopted him as their son' and played a critical role in shaping his journey, speaking on the Quest Talk podcast by iQOO .
Karthik called RCB's maiden IPL title in 2025 the moment he would most want to relive — 'a great moment, an iconic moment.' RCB have sealed their IPL 2026 playoffs spot and lead the points table with 18 points from 13 games .
Karthik described Andy Flower as 'by far the best coach in the world by a distance' on results alone.
He credited Mo Bobat as his biggest recent influence, praising his vision, knowledge, and respectfulness.
Earlier coaches Sanjay Bangar and Mike Hesson were acknowledged for building the squad foundation that enabled the 2025 title run.
Dinesh Karthik, mentor and batting coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has spoken warmly about the franchise's supporters, saying they shaped who he is as a cricketer and as a person. His remarks came in an upcoming episode of the Quest Talk podcast by iQOO, recorded ahead of IPL 2026, where RCB are the defending champions.
The Fan Bond That Defined a Career
'RCB fans made me who I am today. They adopted me as their son from their own land, and I have enjoyed that,' Karthik said. He singled out RCB's maiden IPL title in 2025 as the moment he would most want to relive. 'I think that was a great moment, an iconic moment,' he added.
Karthik's association with RCB spans two distinct phases — a stint in IPL 2025 as a player, and an earlier run from 2022 to 2024. After hanging up his playing gear, he transitioned seamlessly into a coaching role, helping the franchise finally break their long title drought last season.
RCB's Position in IPL 2026
The defending champions have wasted no time in asserting themselves this season. RCB have already sealed a playoffs berth and sit atop the IPL 2026 points table with 18 points from 13 games. When a podcast host suggested the title could be theirs again, Karthik's response was characteristically grounded: 'Touch wood.'
Crediting the Coaching Architecture
Karthik was generous in crediting the leadership group that built RCB's current culture. He acknowledged the groundwork laid by Sanjay Bangar and Mike Hesson, who helped assemble a balanced squad and guided the side to repeated playoff appearances, even if the final step remained elusive.
The baton then passed to Andy Flower and Mo Bobat, and Karthik's praise for both was unequivocal. 'Andy Flower is by far the best coach in the world by a distance. Purely from a results point of view, there is no one even close to him,' he said. On Bobat, Karthik noted: 'The person who has highly influenced me... is Mo Bobat, because I feel he is someone who has great vision, knowledge, and who has come through the grind and is very respectful.'
A Culture Karthik Is Proud Of
Karthik argued that RCB's on-field performances are a direct reflection of the environment built off it. 'I'm very proud to say that RCB has a good culture in place and that is reflective of the way we play, of the way we behave, and of the way we prepare,' he said. This comes amid growing recognition that RCB's 2025 triumph was as much a structural achievement as a cricketing one — years of roster instability finally giving way to a coherent team identity.
With the playoffs already secured and momentum firmly on their side, all eyes will be on whether RCB can become back-to-back IPL champions in 2026.
Point of View
And it lands differently when it comes from inside the same dressing room. More substantively, RCB's 2025 title was the culmination of a multi-year structural rebuild, not a single-season surge, and Karthik's account of that journey — from Bangar and Hesson to Flower and Bobat — is a rare insider look at how franchise cricket actually builds winning cultures. The question now is whether that culture is deep enough to sustain a back-to-back title run, or whether 2025 was the peak of a particular cycle.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Dinesh Karthik say about RCB fans?
Karthik said RCB fans 'made him who he is today' and that they adopted him as their son from their own land. He made these remarks in an upcoming episode of the Quest Talk podcast by iQOO.
How is RCB performing in IPL 2026?
RCB have already qualified for the IPL 2026 playoffs and are leading the points table with 18 points from 13 games, making them strong contenders to defend their title.
Who did Dinesh Karthik credit for RCB's winning culture?
Karthik credited Andy Flower and Mo Bobat as the primary architects of RCB's current culture, while also acknowledging the earlier contributions of Sanjay Bangar and Mike Hesson in building a balanced squad.
What did Karthik say about Andy Flower?
Karthik called Andy Flower 'by far the best coach in the world by a distance,' citing his results record. He said no one comes close to Flower purely from a results standpoint.
When did RCB win their first IPL title?
RCB won the IPL championship for the first time in 2025, ending a long wait for the franchise and its supporters. Karthik, who was part of the squad, described it as 'a great moment, an iconic moment.'
