On June 3, 2025, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made history at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, when they won their first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title. After 18 years of trying, failing close multiple times, and never losing faith in themselves, they emerged victorious at the expense of the Punjab Kings by a mere six runs in a hotly contested final. The championship was collectively a great win for many within the team, but personally it was perhaps the most rewarding win for Virat Kohli after his unwavering commitment to Royal Challengers Bengaluru all these years without a championship.
The Long Road: RCB’s IPL Journey
Since 2008, when the IPL took its first step Royal Challengers Bengaluru has been a franchise with a unique fan-following, some of the biggest stars in cricket and one of the longest tick-tock clocks with 3 finals (before 2025) in the IPL’s history. Their three separate occasions to win the trophy were missed opportunities, in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
The 2016 final was the most disappointing finale when RCB was defeated by 8 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In all of this, RCB was resilient through many ups and downs in the season, always trying to rise to that next level. The 2024 season role-mapped an example of RCB’s resilience as they fought their way back from a horrible start to still qualify for the playoffs thus laying the foundation for what will come next.
Virat Kohli: The Heart of RCB
The story of RCB has been about Virat Kohli in a lot of ways. Kohli, who has been synonymous with Royal Challengers Bengaluru since it seemed like RCB would always exist — since 2008 when the team retained him after his U-19 World Cup exploits — has had a journey with Royal Challengers Bengaluru that seems to be all meaning, loyalty and discipline.
Kohli was named skipper in 2013 and remained RCB’s captain until 2021, becoming the IPL’s highest run-scorer with more than 8,000 runs. Despite those numbers, the IPL trophy was the missing piece in a decorated career that spanned many great accomplishments and records. The team was never in question with Kohli and even after stepping down from captaincy, he was, and continues to be, a player and the backbone of the team.
The 2025 Season: A Fairytale Ending
RCB advanced to the 2025 season with Rajat Patidar as the captain and Andy Flower as the head coach with a spring in its step. RCB finished second overall in the league stage and was excited would perform well to be in the playoffs.
In a low-scoring final against Punjab Kings, RCB made a score of 190/9 with decent contributions with the bat from others including Kohli who contributed with valuable 43 runs. The match was a nail biter, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the match by just 6 runs, with bowling performance from Man of the Match Krunal Pandya.
When the last wicket fell, emotions were at a high. Kohli was overwhelmed with emotions and let the tears flow with joy as he thought about every year, he had put into RCB and the struggles that he went through over the years, and the emotion of winning a title that he had wanted.
Homage to the Journey
Once the victory was secured, Kohli gave homage to his ‘brothers’ AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle for their contributions to teams’ journey so far along. Kohli said he wanted to dedicate the trophy to de Villiers and Gayle, that the title belonged to them as much as it also belonged to him, noting that Royal Challengers Bengaluru was all about the magic of their individual friendship and dreams they accomplished together over the years.
The Aftermath: Celebrations & Sadness
While the victory certainly moved fans to rowdy celebrations throughout Bengaluru, with many being able to crowd the street to celebrate RCB’s victory (or, RCB’s victory parade along) — the celebrations were gently replied by a terrible stampede during the victory parade at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which resulted in a casualty. The unfortunate response gives opens the awareness of how dangerous events can become, no matter how nice the event may be. You want everyone to be safe.
Conclusion: A Legacy Created
The RCB winning IPL 2025 is more than winning a championship; it is a culmination of many years of effort, it is the heart of a team, and it is a culmination of a man’s pure devotion to his game. For Kohli, lifting the IPL trophy was not just a win for him; it was fulfilling a promise to the team and to the fans and, above all else, it was fulfilling a promise to himself. For Kohli, not only did this win put endings to RCB’s title chase, but it guaranteed his legacy as truly one of the greats of the game.
A man who dedicated himself for the cause and had passion for the game and finally saw it rewarded. As the dust settles and the festivities wind down, the championship RCB claimed in 2025 will stand forever to mark a short legacy in the story of the IPL, a story of endurance, devotion and satisfaction in success after so long.
You can also read about Virat Kohli exclusively in our blog below.