How Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Victory Reflects the Journey of Indian Startups

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) historic IPL victory in 2025 is more than a long-overdue sporting triumph. It is a powerful metaphor for Indian startups striving to survive, pivot, and succeed in a competitive and often unforgiving ecosystem. After 18 seasons of near misses, RCB finally clinched the title, proving that resilience, consistency, and belief can eventually rewrite the script.

In many ways, the journey of Indian entrepreneurs mirrors RCB’s rise filled with high expectations, frequent setbacks, and an unwavering pursuit of long-term impact. As India’s startup ecosystem matures, this comparison offers more than inspiration, it provides practical lessons in sustainability, strategy, and staying power.

Why Indian Startups Are the New Underdogs Turned Champions

For 18 seasons, RCB was known more for its popularity than performance. Despite having some of the biggest names in cricket, including Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, the team fell short of winning the trophy. But beneath the surface, RCB was building something more foundational, team culture, strategic focus, and the ability to learn from every failure.

Much like RCB’s rollercoaster IPL history, Indian startups have experienced cycles of boom and bust. While early-stage funding and unicorn status once dominated headlines, today’s metrics for success are shifting toward profitability, operational strength, and product-market fit.

RCB’s years without a trophy were not wasted. They were years of building team culture, refining strategies, and nurturing talent. Similarly, many Indian startups are using quieter phases to strengthen their foundations from building scalable tech stacks to investing in leadership and customer retention.

Founders who were once obsessed with speed are now focused on substance. Scaling with intent has replaced scaling for vanity.

What RCB’s Transformation Teaches About Startup Survival

RCB’s recent success did not happen overnight. It came from strategic hires, strong backroom management, and clear execution on the field. The same rules now apply in the Indian startup scene. The companies that thrive in this climate are those that align vision with velocity and agility with accountability.

Today, investors are backing startups that use data-driven decisions, prioritize capital efficiency, and solve real-world problems with measurable outcomes. This shift from instinct to insight is becoming critical. Just like RCB adapted its gameplan across seasons, Indian startups are moving from instinct-led experimentation to data-backed execution.

Execution is no longer a buzzword. It is the difference between survival and scale.

Building Brand Loyalty: A Lesson from RCB’s Fans

One of RCB’s biggest strengths has always been its passionate fan base. Despite years without a championship, their supporters never wavered. That loyalty was earned through authenticity, storytelling, and emotional branding, values that successful startups are now applying to user engagement.

D2C brands, SaaS players, and consumer-tech ventures are realizing that customer trust is built over time, not bought overnight. Founder-led branding, purpose-driven campaigns, and community-first strategies are outperforming traditional performance marketing. A loyal user base is now a more valuable asset than short-term virality.

Just as RCB cultivated a community of believers, startups are shifting from transactions to relationships, a mindset that drives long-term retention and advocacy.

Thinking Beyond the Next Funding Round

RCB’s win came after nearly two decades of building, failing, and trying again. For Indian founders, this highlights the importance of long-term vision over short-term valuation. Many startups today are exiting too early or scaling without structure. RCB’s perseverance shows the power of sustained effort and adaptive growth.

Whether you are building in fintech, deeptech, cleantech, or D2C, the path to success is nonlinear. Founders must learn to navigate seasons of struggle with strategy, patience, and optimism. Growth is cumulative, and each iteration, each pivot, each failure adds up.

VCs are increasingly investing in founders who play the long game. those who see a decade ahead, not just the next quarter.

Grit as a Competitive Edge in the Startup World

RCB’s IPL win is more than a sports headline. It is a metaphor for what it takes to win in India’s startup ecosystem today. Grit is not just a trait; it is a strategy. The founders who stay committed to their vision, who endure the drought years, and who play the long game are the ones who will eventually raise their own championship flags.

At Startup Caffe, we believe stories like these are not distractions from startup life. They are reflections of it. We will continue to bring you weekly deep dives, funding analysis, founder interviews, and ecosystem insights that fuel your journey.

Because whether it is cricket or code, resilience is what turns a team into a legend.