Innumerable records were achieved by Virat Kohli in the Indian Premier League, but there was still one accolade missing from his portfolio. It was until 2025 that he could taste success in the league as Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the first-ever IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings in the final held at Ahmedabad. For the former RCB captain, it was not just a trophy. It was the release of 18 years of pressure, loyalty and unfinished business.
He further elucidates in an interview conducted in RCB Podcast, “All those emotions, all those feelings came out in a form of just being on my knees and just holding my hands and saying, thank you. That I could experience this before I stopped playing.”
He added that the final overs were hard to describe and said the franchise had carried the burden of being seen as a big team that had never won. In IPL 2026, Kohli has continued that form with 484 runs in 12 matches as RCB sit at the top of the table.
Near Misses Made the Victory More Meaningful
According to Kohli, it mattered even more to him that he went through all the hard times that happened since he became a member of the team in 2008. He was part of many final matches, but could not win.
He admitted there would always have been a question if the trophy had never come. Still, winning after 18 years gave him a feeling no earlier success could have matched.
Kohli called it one of the best moments of his cricket career, as he said, “It wouldn’t have been 5% of the feeling I had, had we won it in the earlier years.”
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The Krunal Pandya Experience: “Watching Him Cry Was Emotional”
Krunal Pandya, one of RCB’s key performers in 2025, said the title belonged most to Kohli and the fans.
Speaking on JioStar’s The Krunal Pandya Experience, he said, “The ones who deserved it the most are Virat Kohli and the RCB fans. To win it and see him get emotional was special. Watching him cry was an emotional moment for everyone.”
Pandya made a huge contribution to the team’s victory campaign after joining their ranks at an amount of ₹5.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Pandya made 109 runs and 17 wickets for his team, taking two wickets in the final match that helped his team clinch the match and won him the award of Player of the Match. It was a dream come true for both RCB and its captain, Virat Kohli.
