Virat Kohli reflected on the emotional journey behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally winning their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2025, admitting that the triumph carried far greater
meaning because of the franchise’s long wait and repeated heartbreaks.
RCB ended an 18-year title drought by defeating Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final, a moment that left Kohli visibly emotional. Having represented Bengaluru since the inaugural 2008 season, he described the closing moments of the match as almost impossible to express.
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Speaking on a podcast with RCB, Kohli recalled the final over, bowled by Josh Hazlewood, with PBKS needing 29 runs.
“I felt very thankful, and I feel grateful every day of my life, to be honest. I have nothing to complain about. But that night especially, and I still say it’s very difficult to explain to people in words how I felt in the last four balls of the last over,” Kohli said.
Winning After So Many Years
Reflecting on the criticism and pressure RCB endured over the years, Kohli noted that the franchise had often been labelled underachievers despite regularly fielding strong squads.
“When you see from the outside what has happened to the franchise, how RCB has been looked at for so many years as a big team, a big franchise that’s never won, you know, the almost champions, the ones that have come close but never really won the trophy. And for that pressure to build over so many years, like season after season, there’s one thing to observe it, and there’s one thing to live it. And I have lived through all of those seasons,” he added.
Virat Kohli admitted that the prolonged wait made the eventual success even more satisfying.
“I can, with absolute honesty and clarity, say that it wouldn’t have been five per cent of the feeling I had, had we won it in the earlier years. The accumulation of all that stress and all that pressure, and for it to happen after 18 years, there couldn’t have been a better experience for me in my cricketing journey, apart from all the other things that I’ve experienced playing for India as well. This was very, very special,” the batter said.
The former RCB captain also acknowledged the emotional investment of legends like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, while recalling how the franchise backed him early in his career.
“I started my journey with RCB very young, as everyone knows. Then I was retained at a very important juncture in my career, to be fair, with the conversation back and forth. RCB agreed to the perspective I had for my own career, for my own game, because I was also playing for India. They showed trust in me. I was the only retained player in 2011, and they kind of built the team around me,” he said.
“I felt that impact probably more than anyone over the course of 18 years, till the last year we won the trophy. And I think all those emotions, all those feelings came out in the 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 said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
