How Virat Kohli waited 18 long years for IPL crown

India Today

a day ago

On a sweltering June evening in Ahmedabad, under the bright lights of the Narendra Modi Stadium, Virat Kohli knelt on the outfield, arms aloft, eyes misty with disbelief. After 18 long years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy—the one accolade that had eluded him throughout his storied career—was finally his.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), a franchise often romanticised but rarely rewarded, had at last crossed the finish line. Their six-run win over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final ended nearly two decades of yearning, heartbreak and ridicule. And for Kohli, it was nothing short of poetic justice.advertisementFor more than a decade, Kohli had been the beating heart of RCB—the emblem stitched into their very soul. He had reached three finals before, each time inching towards glory only to watch it slip like sand through a clenched fist. On this finals night of June 3, deep into the Ahmedabad heat, as the clock crept towards midnight and tension hung thick as monsoon air, Kohli finally touched what had always hovered just beyond reach. He was 36 now—the closing chapters of his cricketing novel already being written—yet when the moment came, he celebrated with the unburdened glee of a boy chasing a dream across a schoolyard.It took the final, fateful miss from Punjab Kings' last man standing, Shashank Singh, flailing at the second ball of the last over, to close the book on 18 years of yearning. The wait was long, almost mythic. The release, nothing short of operatic.For years, Kohli's commitment to RCB was both a badge of honour and a burden. Through lean seasons, painful exits and team overhauls, he stayed—a talisman and a target. Criticism mounted as titles eluded him, but Kohli never left. 'Loyalty is not a burden,' he had once said. 'It's a privilege.' In 2025, that privilege finally yielded its prize.advertisement
Though no longer captain, Kohli led in spirit. With 657 runs in 15 innings, including eight half-centuries, he finished as the tournament's third-highest run-scorer. He had put in extra effort this season, averaging 54.75 with a strike rate of 144.71, well above his overall IPL figures of 39.54 and a strike rate of 132.85. Match after match, Kohli reminded fans and critics alike that T20 cricket still had room for his brand of classical aggression and mental steel. While he didn't notch a half-century in the decider, his 43 off 35 balls set the tone, punctuated by those vintage cover-drives and urgent singles.The final itself was a nerve-shredder. RCB posted 190 for 9, a competitive total shaped by key contributions, with five of the first seven batsmen reaching the twenties, while Phil Salt (16) and Romario Shepherd (17) also chipped in.By the time Josh Hazlewood began the final over, 29 runs lay between RCB and their long-sought prize. In those first two balls, he donned the mantle of executor: two consecutive dot deliveries that, in purely statistical terms, sealed the outcome. Shashank Singh then mustered a late flourish—22 runs from the remaining four balls, including three thunderous sixes—yet they served only to decorate the scoreboard.advertisementKohli, head bowed, knew the script was written. And as the final ball fell, the stadium detonated in euphoria, unleashing a wave of relief that rippled across a nation of RCB loyalists. At last, the wait was over.Post-match, Kohli's emotions spilled over. He embraced teammates, pointed to the heavens, and then sank to the turf—a gesture of relief more than triumph. 'This means everything,' he said. 'Eighteen years—the dedication, the heartbreaks, the relentless hope. This one this is for every RCB fan who never gave up.'Kohli also paid tribute to former teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, the architects of so many RCB dreams in the past. Together, the trio had formed a formidable triumvirate for seven seasons, steering RCB to the final on two occasions and embedding themselves in the team's folklore. In reminiscing about those heady years, Kohli evoked the magic they once conjured—reminders that today's triumph was built upon yesterday's dreams.If 2024 was the swan song of Kohli's international T20 career—one that he ended on a high, lifting the ICC T20 World Cup in Barbados—then 2025 was the domestic coronation. For a player who has defined modern Indian cricket, this IPL victory completed the circle. It wasn't about the numbers anymore; it was about narrative.advertisementWhat makes this triumph sweeter is its context. Kohli could have left RCB a dozen times. He could have sought a fresh franchise, a less emotionally charged environment or a title contender. But he stayed. In doing so, he transformed the IPL's definition of success. It was no longer just about trophies—it was about legacy, loyalty and leadership through time.He has never been a mercenary, and his cricket has rarely been opportunistic. Kohli's story is one of front-foot defiance, of putting yourself on the line year after year, even when the world mocks you for it. That is why this title matters more than most.There is also a passing-of-the-torch quality to RCB's win. Youngsters came of age this season, but Kohli was their orbit. They batted around him, drew from his fire and chased with his intensity. And now, they will carry the mantle forward—with a trophy finally in hand.Kohli's IPL record now reads complete. Over 8,000 runs, countless iconic innings, and the medal he yearned for most. But this is not just a tale of statistics. It is the culmination of grit, belief and love — not just for a game but for a jersey that never left his heart. In the IPL's pantheon, Kohli was always the king without a crown. But on that 2025 finals night in Ahmedabad, under fireworks and flashbulbs, the crown finally came home.advertisementIn a vignette that speaks volumes about Kohli's imprint on a generation, lockdown confinement prompted Usha Bharadwaj—once a state-level volleyball player, now a strength and conditioning coach—to curb her son's wayward attention. She tapped into the digital vault and played him clips of Kohli's feral focus in the nets: the laser-sharp eye contact, the coiled power in each stroke, the aura of unyielding purpose. Those flickering images lit a spark.Five years on, in 2025, as Kohli at last hoisted the IPL trophy, Usha's son, Sai Sudharsan, claimed cricket's Orange Cap as the tournament's top run-scorer—proof that Kohli's intensity was not mere spectacle but a blueprint. In that same season, Sudharsan earned his maiden Test call-up, stepping onto the stage Kohli had long graced—ironically, the great man himself retired from Test cricket that very year. Thus, Kohli's legacy passed like a baton: from idol to coach's montage to pupil, weaving a lineage of aspiration in Indian cricket.advertisementSubscribe to India Today MagazineTrending Reel