The Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp was in high spirits ahead of their much-anticipated IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings. In a heartwarming video posted by the franchise on social media under their Bold Diaries segment, the team was seen celebrating the birthdays of their captain Rajat Patidar and mentor Dinesh Karthik, a celebration that turned into a full-blown cake smash fest.Titled “An absolute smash fest”, the video began with the usual sweetness, candles, claps, and cheers all before descending into chaos as players gleefully smeared cake across each other’s faces. Karthik and Patidar, the birthday duo, were the centre of attention until the fun escalated into a cake crime scene, with players laughing and running around to avoid the next ambush.The standout moment, however, came courtesy of wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma. As all the fun unfolded, England all-rounder Liam Livingstone jokingly egged him on to apply cake on none other than Virat Kohli’s face. In response, Jitesh broke into a nervous smile, joined both his hands, and comically pleaded to be excused , a gesture that left the entire dressing room in splits and fans on social media thoroughly entertained.Amidst the camaraderie, RCB remain focused on their biggest challenge yet: the IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. This marks RCB’s fourth appearance in an IPL final, and they’ll be eager to finally get over the line after finishing runners-up in 2009, 2011, and 2016.
Skipper Rajat Patidar, who guided RCB to a dominant win in Qualifier 1 against PBKS , bowling them out for 101 before chasing it in just 10 overs is determined to bring home the trophy, not just for the team, but also for the fans and for Virat Kohli. “Virat has contributed so much over the years — winning would mean a lot, especially for him,” Patidar said in his pre-final press conference.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?Punjab Kings, on the other hand, come in with renewed confidence after a thrilling chase against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2. Led by a breathtaking unbeaten 87 off 41 balls by Shreyas Iyer, PBKS will look to avenge their earlier defeat and lift the IPL title for the first time in their history, having lost their only final appearance back in 2014.
