‘Amazing feeling’ as Kohli & RCB end 18-year wait for IPL title

Ahmedabad Indian Premier League Final

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 190-9 (20 overs): Kohli 43 (35), Arshdeep 3-40, Jamieson 3-48

Punjab Kings 184-7 (20 overs): Shashank 61* (30), Pandya 2-17

Bengaluru defeated Bengaluru by six runs to win.

With a six-run victory over Punjab Kings, Virat Kohli finally captured the Indian Premier League’s crown. Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by Bengaluru to claim their first title.

The 36-year-old India legend led RCB in scoring 43 from 20 overs in his team’s 190-9 victory over the only other team to play in each of the tournament.

Kings finished with 184-7, which was their first IPL title, despite also being hoping to win it.

Kohli remarked, “I never anticipated this day would come.” “I value this a lot. This team has given me every ounce of my energy. It’s amazing to finally win the IPL.

As the team’s numbers three to six posted scores in the mid-20s, England all-rounder Liam Livingstone hit 25 while Salt hit 16 from nine balls before being caught off Kyle Jamieson by Shreyas Iyer.

Andy Flower’s team struggled in the final over, with Arshdeep Singh taking three wickets in each of his final six balls to prevent RCB from passing 200.

In the 13th over of their reply, Kings lost captain Shreyas to one batter, caught by Jitesh Sharma off Romario Shepherd, to lose them 98-4.

Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh started rebuilding, but when Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis were caught together in three deliveries of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, their partnership was effectively over.

Shashank hammered 22 from Josh Hazlewood’s final four balls, bringing his team tantalisingly close with an unbeaten 61, after Josh Hazlewood needed 29 from the final over.

Kohli, who played his first IPL game for RCB in April 2008, has been waiting patiently.

He was then bowled for one at the age of 19, but he would later record 8, 661 runs, an average of 39.54, eight hundred and 63 half-centuries.

In addition to leading his team between 2013 and 2021, he also suffered defeat in his team’s three final appearances, losing to Deccan Chargers in 2009, Chennai Super Kings in 2011, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.

Kohli later said, “This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team.”

“It’s been 18 years. I’ve spent my youth, my youth, and my experience with this team. Every season, I’ve made an effort to win, giving it everything.

As soon as the final ball was bowled, I was overcome with emotion.

Kohli has averaged over 50 in recent years, including 54.75 in this campaign, and has now won the IPL trophy after 267 matches.

After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, he has recently won his most impressive accomplishment in the past 12 months.

Because of the fact that my heart and soul are with Bangalore, Kohli continued, “This is much more special than winning it with anyone else.” This is the team I’m going to play for until the final day of the IPL, as I previously stated.

Flower, who took over RCB for the competition’s 2024 edition, has also had success with the title.

The Ashes-winning former England coach placed second this year behind Kings on net run-rate, finishing fourth in his first year, losing in the elimination match.

After winning the first qualifier match, Flower’s team beat Kings to advance to the final, before resuming the process five days later.

It also follows 2021 victories for the Pakistan Super League and 2022 victories for Trent Rockets and Multan Sultans.

The winners’ medals will also be given to England internationals Salt, Livingstone, and Jacob Bethell.

After returning home for international duty, Bethell was playing for England in the third ODI against the West Indies at the time of the match, taking both Salt and Livingstone for catches in the final.