Virat Kohli could be seen with his hands on his mouth as soon as the second ball of the last over in the Punjab Kings’ was fielded at long on and went for no runs. It meant that PBKS had to score 29 runs off the last four balls, a mathematical impossibility unless bowler Josh Hazlewood sent in extras. That never happened, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first Indian Premier League title in their and the league’s 18th year of existence. Kohli, who has been with the side right from the first season, collapsed to his knees and the tears flowed uninhibited.
Kohli spoke to Star Sports in the aftermath of the match and admitted that he never thought he would clinch the title. “This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team,” said the former captain. “It’s been 18 long years. I’ve given this team my youth, prime and experience. I have tried to win it every season, and I gave it everything I can. To finally have this moment come, it is an unbelievable feeling. I never thought this day would come. I was overcome with emotion (when the) last ball was bowled. I have given each and every ounce of my energy to this team.”
Considered one of the greatest batters of all time, retired from T20Is last year after putting up a player-of-the-match performance in the final the 2024 T20 World Cup, leading India to their first ICC title in 11 years. He ended his illustrious Test career earlier this month during the league stage of the 2025 . Kohli has also won the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy twice in 2013 and 2025. He said that this win is right up there with all the other big trophies in his cabinet.
“It’s right up there. I have given everything I have the last 18 years, stayed loyal no matter what. I had moments when I thought otherwise, but I stuck with them. I stood behind them, they stood behind me. I have always dreamt of winning it with this team. This is far more special than winning it with any other team because my heart and my soul is with Bengaluru,” said Kohli.
“This is the team I am going to play for until the last day that I play the IPL. This is a very high intensity tournament which is of great value to world cricket today. I have won some big tournaments and this one was missing. Tonight, I am going to sleep like a baby.”
On Tuesday, Kohli scored 43 in 35 balls. It wasn’t the most fluent of innings from the former RCB captain as he struggled to get his shots away. Kohli ended up hitting just three fours and fell to Azmatullah Omarzai in the 15th over. Kohli ended up being RCB’s highest run scorer on the day though, with the side finishing their 20 overs with a score of 190/9 on the board. The 36-year-old scored 657 runs in the season overall in 15 matches with a strike rate of 144.71 and average of 54.75.
Kohli is the highest run scorer in the history of the IPL with 8660 runs in 267 matches in which he averaged 39.72 and struck at 132.88. He has scored eight centuries and 63 fifties, both of which are the most for any player in the history of the IPL. Kohli is the only player to have played for one team throughout his career in the league, having been signed by RCB during the U-19 draft ahead of the inaugural 2008 season of the IPL.
Former RCB batsman too was in attendance to watch his former team win its maiden IPL title. While Kohli has played in 267 matches in IPL for RCB amassing 8,661 runs, de Villers played for RCB from 2011 to 2021 and having played a total of 184 matches in IPL from 2008 to 2021 amassing 5,162 runs. Kohli termed the win as much of the team as much of AB de Villiers.
“I mean what he (ABD) has done for the franchise is absolutely tremendous. And I told him that before the game as well, ‘This win is as much yours as it is ours. And I want you to celebrate with us when we lift that trophy by the end of the night’. Because what he has done for RCB is so very special. He has been the maximum number of times the man of the match award and he has retired since four years. That tells you the impact he has on the league, on this team and on me as a person. Our friendship and what he means to the people of Bengaluru, to this team, to this franchise. It’s something that I can’t describe in words. Like I said he deserves to be on that podium with all of us lifting that trophy,” said Kohli.
