At last, after 18 years, Virat Kohli has finally gotten his hands on the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to win their maiden IPL title.

Is there a case for comparison between Virat Kohli and Lionel Messi. The Argentine won nearly every major football trophy at both club and individual levels – multiple Champions League titles, multiple Ballon d’Ors, multiple domestic league crowns, and even a continental triumph with Argentina. But for years, the FIFA World Cup remained the elusive piece of silverware – until the 2022 FIFA World Cup happened.

Virat Kohli’s case was similar but presented a kind of reverse vacu um. He had won it all – the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2008, the ODI World Cup in 2011, Champions Trophies in 2013 and 2025, multiple Asia Cups, the ICC Test Mace (for three consecutive years), and the T20 World Cup in 2024. One trophy, though, continued to elude him – the IPL. That was only till Tuesday night. That gap too was filled, just as Messi completed his legacy journey in 2022.

Most runs in the IPL (8661, leads the second placed batter by more than 1500 runs), most 500-plus runs (eight) in an IPL edition, third most IPL caps (267), 10 appearances in the IPL play-offs, four final appearances, most hundreds (eight), most fifties (63), maximum runs in a season (973 in 2016) and most fours (771) – few players are more deserving of the IPL honours. After his 43 in the final versus Punjab Kings,  Virat Kohli has taken his runs tally to 657 runs, third highest of the season.

RCB wins the coveted IPL Trophy 2025 after beating PBKS by 6 runs

Outclassed in 2011, falling agonisingly short by six runs in 2009, losing by eight runs in 2016, 2025 was finally their time. In front of a 91,419-strong crowd in Ahmedabad, predominantly supporting their franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off a thrifty bowling performance to successfully defend 190 and end a 17-year wait for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

The catchphrase “It’s coming home” in the hope of a Cup win, RCB supporters have had “Ee Sala Cup Namde” as their battle cry, which was finally answered on Tuesday night against Punjab Kings. No longer will Virat Kohli remain a king without the crown. He was shedding tears of joy by the time Josh Hazlewood successfully defended 29 runs in the final over.

The victory margin was only six runs, but those boundaries at the end didn’t matter. He had a title to show after 17 years of perspiration. It’s only fair that AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle were watching from the stands and later celebrated with the RCB players. Both were leading architects of RCB’s fandom.

Approaching the halfway mark in Punjab’s run chase, with Shreyas Iyer having joined Josh Inglis, the asking rate was still in check. There were anxious faces in the RCB dug out. Suyash Sharma, their wrist spinner, had been unexpectedly taken down for an expensive first over. Just then, Romario Shepherd was introduced to prevent Iyer from teeing off against spin, and the West Indies was the one to provide the most important breakthrough. Iyer (1), the man in form and RCB’s biggest threat, had edged one to the ‘keeper.

In matches of reckoning, with legacies to be made, destinies on the line, you can never safely predict who in the park is experiencing jangling nerves. Nehal Wadhera, who had shown he had all the strokes, was suddenly unable to hit the ball past the circle. The experienced Krunal Pandya was all over him. In the bargain, Krunal would force Inglis to take extra risk, and the Australian would have to depart on 39 (23b).

In delight, Virat  Kohli was leaping in the air while the rest of his RCB teammates mobbed Krunal with high-fives and fist pumps. Krunal, who had tasted success with MI in 2017 would finish with figures of 4-0-17-2, gold dust in a match where the rest of the bowlers had gone for plenty.

PBKS openers rode their luck in the Powerplay. Prabhsimran Singh’s catch was spilled in the deep by Shepherd. Hazlewood went with hard length and high pace in the early overs.Priyansh Arya didn’t look in control against the Aussie speedster and was ultimately caught on 17 at the deep square leg fence by Phil Salt in spectacular fashion. At 52/1 it wasn’t the usual forceful Powerplay for PBKS. Then again, this wasn’t your usual league match.

When RCB came out to bat, it was  Virat Kohli’s responsibility to force the issue as much it was the aggressive Salt’s. PBKS inflicted a blow to RCB by sending back the big-hitting opener in the second over. Salt, who had flown in early morning after becoming a father, had begun without a trace of nerves as he went after Arshdeep Singh in the first over. It took the calm of Iyer to catch a Salt skier on 16. Salt’s early wicket meant that despite Mayank Agarwal’s constant show of intent, RCB only managed 55/1 in the Powerplay.

After Agarwal’s dismissal, RCB tried to keep the boundary flow going in the form of Rajat Patidar. The RCB captain was able to attack Yuzvendra Chahal in his early overs, but he too fell at an inopportune time for the team, trapped in front by Kyle Jamieson in an over full of slower balls. At the back end of the tournament, slower balls had been doing magic, in producing wickets as well as keeping a check on scoring.

Although Virat Kohli’s play has improved against slow bowling in the middle overs, he’s still not very good at it. In a pressure game, was there a case for Virat Kohli to try and bat deep. Somewhere in that conundrum, PBKS were able to push through many inexpensive overs. From the time Patidar (26 -16b) was dismissed in the 11th over to Virat Kohli’s dismissal on 43 (35b) in the 15th, RCB managed only 35 runs in 19 balls. A proper middle overs slowdown inflicted by PBKS pacers.

RCB batters freed up to go on the attack after  Virat Kohli’s fall. The 17th over went for 22 runs. But PBKS would wrest some of the initiative back with four wickets in the final two overs. Though 190 was not a total to put the outcome beyond doubt, it proved sufficient in the end.

Emotional Virat Kohli vents his heart out post becoming Champions of IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli opened up on ending a frustrating 18-year wait to win the IPL trophy. The 36-year-old stated that he has given everything to the franchise; hence, it qualifies as one of the biggest moments of his career.

The veteran’s eyes turned moist as Josh Hazlewood all but sealed the win in the 20th over after only two deliveries were bowled. With the Punjab Kings (PBKS) needing 29 off the last six balls, the first two resulted in dots. Although Shashank Singh clobbered three sixes off the final four deliveries, RCB eventually won by six runs.

Speaking to Matthew Hayden after the game, Kohli said he always dreamt of winning the title with the franchise, having poured his heart and soul into Bengaluru. He also vowed to play for the franchise till the final year he features in the IPL. The right-hander said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

“Well, it’s right up there, if I have to be honest. As I said, I’ve given everything that I had for the last 18 years. I’ve stayed loyal to this team, no matter what. I’ve had moments where I thought otherwise, but I stuck to this team. I stood behind them, they stood behind me. And I always dreamt of winning it with them,”

“And this is far more special than winning it with anyone else because my heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore. And as I said, this is the team I’m going to play for till the last day that I play the IPL.”

Virat Kohli looked slightly off-colour with the bat but still top-scored with 43 off 35 deliveries. Cameos from Rajat Patidar (26), Mayank Agarwal (24), and Jitesh Sharma (24) lifted their side to a match-winning score of 190. Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya won the Player of the Match award for his figures of 4-0-17-2.

The Delhi-born cricketer also admitted that he thought this day would never come when RCB won the trophy, adding:

“This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team. It’s been 18 long years. I’ve given this team my youth, prime and experience. I’ve tried to win it every season, gave it everything I have. To finally have it is an unbelievable feeling. Never thought this day would come, I was overcome with emotion after the last ball was bowled. Gave each and every ounce of my energy and it’s an amazing feeling.”

Reflecting on the long, painful journey, Kohli acknowledged the hardships, the ridicule and the trolls that were all part of the story that forged unbreakable bonds.

“I’ve taken a lot of stress. I’ve heard all sorts of things: ‘RCB this, RCB that’. It’s all part of the journey. A lot of people have trolled us. A lot of people have made fun of us. All of it happened. But it made us stronger. It brought us closer – as a team, and as a franchise. The relationship our fans have with RCB, that golden connection, was forged through all these setbacks. Tonight, I will sleep peacefully. It’s not going to be one of those nights of endless partying. Just peace,” he added

One of the most extraordinary aspects of Virat Kohli is his evolution – he has stayed relevant to the league from Season 1 in 2008 to Season 18 in 2025 even as the cricket itself, more so T20 cricket, kept changing.. Even as the new generations started dominating, Virat Kohli kept evolving and kept bucking the trend and kept staying relevant to the team’s cause. His strike rate over the last two seasons is higher than his career strike rate.

So the wait is finally over for  Virat Kohli. The Season 18 of the IPL was a great spectacle in many ways. It will be remembered for many things, but the enduring image will be that of tears streaming down Virat Kohli’s face.

Seventeen IPL seasons passed, yet the one thing Virat Kohli never had was a title. The tournament kept him waiting, year after year, even as he gave it everything. He turned up each season, unflinching, driven, relentless. He piled on the runs, carried teams on his shoulders, but the trophy remained just out of reach. 17 years had passed. Teammates came and went. Contemporaries celebrated title after title. Yet Virat Kohli stood alone, unmatched in stature but untouched by silverware.

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