IPL 5 has ended but RCB owners and management will be seeking opportunities to keep the RCB passion alive and burning. RCB is a lifestyle brand. Watch out for RCB activities, events, get-togethers, competitions and “special surprises” all year round.

As for IPL5, although we did not reach our intended destination, the journey had many magic moments – on and off the field.

On the field we had a Gayle-storm of sixes, the Dil-scoop and AB’s innovative batting displays while Murali proved he is still up there with the best and youthful talents such as Mayank Agarwal and KP Appanna come to the fore.

Off the field there were some tremendous new ventures that we shared with fans. Sid Mallya’s “No boundaries” show was a run-away success. Interesting guests, a “no bullshit” approach by a talented host and your comments made for great entertainment. Our digital team did a great job throughout the tournament bringing you interesting content which I hope allowed you to get an inside view of what goes on behind the scenes – at sponsor’s events, family outings and birthday parties.

A HUGE THANKS to everyone who bought match day tickets and our new range of lifestyle merchandise. It took a while to get our online platform operational but now that it is up, it means fans all around the country and globe have easy and convenient access to an exciting and growing range of lifestyle merchandise. The good news is that our merchandise is available online throughout the year! So when it comes to restocking your wardrobe or buying gifts for family or friends, make sure that our online merchandise store is on your shopping list. We will also continue to supply signed memorabilia items to collectabillia.com for you to acquire some really selective and limited edition RCB items.

Our Green match once again surpassed all expectations. We were presented with the Carbon Neutrality Certificate and, as an added bonus, with mascots of the 2012 London Olympic Games by the Games officials and the British High Commission because of our good work on green initiatives. We are the world’s first carbon neutral cricket team and the world’s first ever sports team to go carbon neutral solely through fan activation and not through the purchase of carbon credits. Take a bow RCB fans, management and owners. Tia Bhatia (the girl in the Stands who had her nose broken by Chris Gayle) was our very own special RCB mascot for the day.

The RCB/Mumbai Indians Owners Match was also a great success. Young Arjun Tendulkar – Sachin’s son- showed he is “a chip off the old block” delivering a solid performance with both bat and ball. Sachin could only watch from the sidelines and “marvel” at the RCB “master-class” players representing RCB owners and management - who came together for the very first time on the day without one practice! Needless to say, we came second in this one.

The Signature after-match parties, RCB White Mischief Cheerleaders and the USL Meet and Greets around the country were very well supported and appreciated. It was a great opportunity to see our fans from all around the country.

Despite so much “good stuff”, there were some negatives. As RCB fans, you might have been a little concerned by the media coverage of some unfortunate incidents such as Luke Pomersbach alleged molestation incident. Rest assured that the media reports were largely exaggerated. The good news is that the case against Luke has been dropped and an amicable settlement (non financial) reached between all parties.

IPL5 MIGHT BE OVER BUT THE RCB PASSION AND PARTY WILL REMAIN ALIVE AND ACTIVE. We are already in the process of planning our next steps and ensuring on-going fan engagements and interactions– to keep the fire burning and take us into IPL6 with the flag flying high. YOUR 2013 RCB JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN!

Watch out for the fan poll we will be posting on our website shortly to find out what kind of fan you were during IPL 5. Your answers are important in helping us to get to know you better, so we can serve you better.

Yours in Cricket
Russell Adams
VP-Commercial Operations & Cricket Academy
Royal Challengers Bangalore