Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have kicked off their Indian Premier League 2025 campaign with a dream start, securing victories in their opening matches. They began with a convincing seven-wicket win against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, followed by a dominant 50-run victory over Chennai Super Kings. With these two consecutive wins, RCB currently sit atop the IPL points table.
Despite their impressive start and leading position in the standings, former India opener Virender Sehwag took a playful jab at RCB, referring to them as ‘gareeb (poor)’. Sehwag’s comments came during a chat on Cricbuzz, where he humorously remarked that teams like RCB, which have yet to win an IPL title, should also get a chance to enjoy their time at the top.
“Gareebon ko bhi toh rehne de, photo le le thodi der. Pata nahi kitnin der gareeb log upar rahenge. (Let the poor be on top of the IPL points, let them click photos. Who knows for how long they will be at the top),” Sehwag quipped. He clarified that his use of the term ‘gareeb’ was not about financial wealth, as IPL franchises earn between 400-500 crore every season, but rather about their lack of IPL titles.
“What do you think, I was talking about money? No. They are all wealthy in terms of money. Franchises earn 400-500 crore every season. I’m not talking about that. The ones who haven’t won a single trophy, I’m calling them gareeb,” he added.
RCB is not alone in their quest for an IPL title; other teams such as Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants also remain title-less. RCB’s next challenge will be against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, as they aim to continue their winning streak and prove Sehwag’s playful taunt wrong.