Virat Kohli finally has his hands on the Indian Premier League trophy after 17 years, after the Royal Challengers Bangalore beat the Punjab Kings by six runs. Krunal Pandya was the star of the match, with two wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat came after a scintillating 43 from Kohli off 35 balls.
Embed from Getty ImagesCaptain Rajat Patidar played a handy knock of 26 from 16.
Embed from Getty ImagesLiam Livingstone also cashed in with 25 off 15.
Embed from Getty ImagesJitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd polished off RCB’s innings, with cameos of 24 and 17 from nine and ten balls, to propel RCB’s score to 190-9.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was an excellent score from the Royal Challengers, as the Kings needed something special against a top bowling attack to chase it down.
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh got them off to a great start with 43 in 4.5 overs.
Embed from Getty ImagesBefore Josh Hazlewood gave RCB the breakthrough, with the wicket of Arya at 43-1, courtesy of a great catch by Phil Salt on the boundary.
Embed from Getty ImagesJosh Inglis came out to bat all guns blazing.
Embed from Getty ImagesBefore Pandya got the big wicket of Prabhsimran, he departed for 26 on 72-2.
Embed from Getty ImagesInglis continued to take on RCB’s bowlers.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Shephered got the big wicket of Shreyas Iyer, at 79-3.
Embed from Getty ImagesInglis continued to take on the bowling.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Pandya got the big wicket of the Australian, courtesy of a great catch on the long on boundary by Livingstone, at 94-4.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut the Kings weren’t giving up, and it took a partnership of 38 between Shashank Singh and Nehal Wadhera from 4.1 overs to drag them back into the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut just as the Punjabi duo were taking the game away from RCB, Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the breakthrough at 136-5, with Wadhera departing for 15 off 18.
a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;’>Embed from Getty ImagesMarcus Stoinis lasted just two balls, as he departed for six, at 142-6.
Embed from Getty ImagesShashank was the only one who looked like taking the Kings home.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut the Kings continued to lose wickets, as Azmatullah Omarzai was the next man to go, at 145-7.
Embed from Getty ImagesShashank pushed his way to 61, but it wasn’t enough, as the Royal Challengers closed out the final.
Embed from Getty ImagesKohli’s dream of lifting one of the most fantastic prizes in cricket had finally come true.
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. What ABD has done for the franchise is tremendous, told him ‘this win is as much yours as it is ours. I want you to celebrate with us’. He’s been the POTM most times in the franchise despite being retired for four years. Tells you the impact he’s had on the league, team and me. He deserves to be on the podium, lifting the cup.
Kohli ESPNCricinfo
The former RCB and India Captain also gave praise to the support staff as well as the players, for putting in the work, to get the team over the line.
Well, I have an opportunity to play this game for not many years. So there is an end date to our career, as you know. And by the time that I hang up my boots, I want to sit at home and say I gave it everything I had. So I look for ways to improve. I can’t play as an impact player, I want to feel 20 overs and make an impact in the field. That’s the kind of player I have been. And God’s blessed me with that perspective, with the talent. And then you find different ways to help the team. This management, this group of players has been outstanding, to be honest. They’ve gotten the right kind of players, match winners, people who take the game on. In the auction, a lot of people questioned our tactics. But by day two, we were very happy with what we had. And we had a lot of confidence in the strength of this group. And I want to give a big shout out to this team. It would not have been possible without each and every one in the squad, in the playing XI, the management backing the players, keeping us positive throughout when the going got tough. So it’s everyone’s. I don’t want to stand here and talk about myself. There’s a lot that’s spoken about me already. This win is for Bangalore. And it’s for each and every one of the players, and the families, and the whole management as well.
Kohli.
Meanwhile, a dejected Iyer was proud of his team’s performance throughout the tournament and gave praise to Pandya for his outstanding performance.
Dejected, but the way our came up to the occasion… a lot of credit goes to the management and each and every player. Considering the last game we played here, I felt 200 was par personally. They bowled excellently. Krunal was phenomenal, used his experience, that was the turning point. Proud of each individual in our team, a lot of youngsters played their first season. Their fearlessness was phenomenal. Job is still half done, we have to win it next year. The way we turned up to every game was a positive, they’ve gained a lot of experience and we can build on that next year.
Iyer
Pandya was named Man Of the Match for his match-winning spell of 2-17.
When we batted, we realised the slower you bowl the better it is. In this format, you need guts to do it. I just backed myself, thought I’ll vary my pace and keep it on the slower side more often. My biggest strength has been to learn what the situation requires. I knew I had to be brave to get wickets tonight. Thought I’d do that by bowling slow. If you’d have bowled quick, it’d have been a good wicket. But if you mixed it up it was tougher. Pitch actually got easier in the second innings. Have enjoyed my time with RCB so far, I said on day one I wanted to win. I told Hardik too that the Pandya household will have nine trophies in 11 years.
Pandya
What happens in the future is a different story, but 3rd June 2025 will go down as the day where Virat Kohli and RCB finally got their hands on the Indian Premier League trophy.
For more information on RCB and Kohli’s maiden IPL, visit World In Sport.
