After 17 long seasons of heartbreak, Royal Challengers Bengaluru — powered by their ever-passionate talisman Virat Kohli — finally laid hands on their maiden IPL trophy, defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in a dramatic final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Put in to bat at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium, Bengaluru posted a modest 190-9. Kohli, their top scorer this season, held the innings together with a calm 43, though the team struggled to build big partnerships and couldn’t breach the 200 mark.
Azmatullah Omarzai’s sharp bouncer and diving return catch sent Kohli back, while cameos from Jitesh Sharma (24 off 10) and Liam Livingstone (25) provided brief sparks. Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh bowled a stunning final over, taking three wickets and giving away just three runs, tightening the chase.
But the real story was in RCB’s lion-hearted bowling. Despite Shashank Singh’s unbeaten 61 off 30 balls, Punjab were restricted to 184-7. Hazlewood struck early, Phil Salt held a stunner, and Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned the screws late in the innings, sealing a win that seemed elusive for over a decade.
As the final wicket drew near, Kohli stood on the field in tears — overwhelmed, relieved, and victorious. For the man who’s carried Bengaluru’s hopes since 2008, the tag of “underachievers” finally faded into history.
