Watch: Anushka Sharma Looks On, As RCB Star Asks For Virat Kohli's Face To Be Smeared With Cake. This Happens

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp is brimming with excitement and anticipation. The side will be playing its first IPL final since 2016. Facing them at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday will be Punjab Kings, another team which has never won the IPL like RCB. Before the high voltage encounter, the RCB camp had a fun activity celebrating the birthdays of batting coach Dinesh Karthik and captain Rajat Patidar. Post the birthday cake cutting custom, wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma took a proactive role in smearing the faces of his teammates and coaches with cake. 

Even the like of physio Shankar Basu, Patidar were not spared. Even Jitesh got to 'taste' some cake on his face. In the midst of this, Liam Livingstone, with Virat Kohli by his side, asked Jitesh Sharma to smear the former RCB captain's face with some cake. Anushka Sharma looked on as the request was being made. However, Jitesh Sharma turned down the request with folded hands. 

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DK and Rajat's birthday celebrations started sweet, but ended in a cake crime scene.

Enjoy, this is @bigbasket_com presents RCB Bold Diaries. #PlayBold #RCB #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/TgfFkVOxl4

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) June 2, 2025

Ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing the IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings, batting coach Dinesh Karthik believes the coaching group, led by Andy Flower, has nailed the process of ensuring players are improving as cricketers during their time of competing.

Come Tuesday, RCB will be playing an IPL final for the fourth time at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, after finishing as runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016 editions. They are up against PBKS, who are in an IPL final just for the second time.

PBKS and RCB had finished in first and second spots in the league stage, with the latter winning over the former in Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur. "When you have a team doing well like we did in the first half, you're almost assured of playing the same 12 for most games unless there's an injury. So you have a group of players, at least eight to ten, who know they might not start or play in that game.

“Keeping their motivation levels up, keeping them hungry, and making sure that when the opportunity comes, they're ready for it is one of the biggest challenges. I must admit, Andy and the group have tried really hard, and they have nailed the process which has kept players not only hungry but also improving.

“Because when they improve, they feel they'll get back better cricketers, either for the domestic sides or for the international sides. That has been a feature of what we've tried to achieve in this short two-month period. I would like to think, and this is feedback only the players can give, that we have genuinely made them slightly better than where they were when we came in,” said Karthik in a video posted by the franchise on their YouTube account on Monday.

With IANS inputs 

Topics mentioned in this article

Virat Kohli Royal Challengers Bengaluru Punjab Kings IPL 2025 Cricket