'Emotional' Kohli fulfils IPL dream as Bengaluru claim first title
Batting great Virat Kohli fulfilled an 18-year dream of winning an IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru after they beat Punjab Kings by six runs in Tuesday's final in Ahmedabad.
Image: IPL/Facebook
Batting great Virat Kohli fulfilled an 18-year dream of winning an IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru after they beat Punjab Kings by six runs in Tuesday's final in Ahmedabad.
Kohli's 43 from 35 balls at the top of the order set up Bengaluru for an imposing total of 190-9 which was one big blow too many for a Punjab side that battled until the end, finishing on 184-7.
More than 91,000 fans packed into the 132,000-capacity stadium, a sea of Bengaluru's red and Kohli's jersey number 18 dominating the stands as chants of "Kohli, Kohli" rang out.
They celebrated noisily when Kohli and RCB clinched victory for the first time in the 18 years of the IPL, their three previous finals having all ended in defeat.
The 36-year-old Kohli, one of India's all-time greats in all formats of the game, collapsed on the ground after the win and then got up to be hugged by his teammates as the crowd celebrated their hero.
"This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team, it's been 18 long years," said Kohli.
"I've given this team my youth, my prime, my experience. I gave it everything I have.
"I never thought this day would come. I was overcome with emotion as soon as the last ball was bowled.
"I have stayed loyal to this team, no matter what. My heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore and this is the team I'll play for till the last day I play the IPL."
Name a better duo... We'll wait.
Image: IPL/Facebook
Punjab put up a feisty response to the Bengaluru total but faltered in their chase after left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya took 2-17 from his four overs.
Shashank Singh hit a valiant 61 not out and finished with three sixes and a four off Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood who defended 29 runs in the final over.
Hazlewood, who took 3-21 against Punjab in last week's qualifier win after recovering from a shoulder injury, struck first to send back left-handed Priyansh Arya for 24 with Phil Salt taking a stunning catch at the ropes.
Impact substitute Prabhsimran Singh was the next to go off Pandya but the Bengaluru crowd went wild when Romario Shepherd had skipper Shreyas Iyer caught behind for one. 'King Kohli'
Pandya stuck again to cut short Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis' stay on 39 and Bengaluru seized momentum and Shashank's late blitz was not enough.
"I am very proud of each and every individual who has participated in this team," said Iyer.
"There are a lot of youngsters who are playing their first season, they've shown a lot of fearlessness. We wouldn't be here without them. Kudos to them."
Bengaluru had the perfect start as 'King Kohli' dug in. Far from his fluent best, he only struck three fours during his innings but in the end it turned out to be key.
He lost opening partner Salt for 16 when New Zealand quick Kyle Jamieson struck in his first over to have the England batter caught in the deep off Iyer.
Kohli, who was his team's best batter this season with 657 runs including eight half-centuries, anchored the innings, sharing important partnerships with Mayank Agarwal, who made 24, and then skipper Rajat Patidar, who hit 26.
But Punjab kept chipping away with wickets as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal got Agarwal and Jamieson trapped the captain lbw.
Kohli's vigil ended when he mistimed a rising delivery from Afghanistan pace bowler Azmatullah Omarzai for a caught and bowled, the disappointment etched across his face mirrored by his fans.
Jamieson took his third wicket to cut short Liam Livingstone's rampant 25 off 15 balls.
Wickets kept tumbling as wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma fell for a 10-ball 24 and Romario Shepherd for 17 off nine balls.
Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh took three wickets including Shepherd in the 20th over and gave away just three runs.
The 18th edition of the world's richest cricket league ended nine days late due to a pause caused by the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
Ange Postecoglou sacked by Spurs despite ending trophy drought
Big Ange shown the door Australian Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur despite leading the club to their first piece of silverware in 17 years. Photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP Ange Postecoglou was sacked as Tottenham manager on Friday, just 16 days after the Australian ended the club's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League. Postecoglou led Tottenham to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao to clinch the north Londoners' first European prize in 41 years and secure a place in next season's Champions League. But the Australian paid the price for Tottenham's worst domestic season since they were relegated from the top flight in 1976-77. "Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties," a statement on Tottenham's official X account said.
IOL News
21 hours ago
- IOL News
India police arrest two after deadly cricket stampede
At least 11 people were killed in a stampede on June 4, as a tightly packed crowd celebrated the victory of their home cricket team in the Indian city of Bengaluru. Image: STRINGER / AFP Indian police arrested two people including a senior executive at IPL-winning cricket team Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 11 fans were crushed to death during victory celebrations, local media reported Friday. Hundreds of thousands had packed the streets in the southern tech city Bengaluru on Wednesday to welcome home their hero Virat Kohli and his RCB team-mates after they beat Punjab Kings in a thrilling final of the Indian Premier League. But the euphoria of the vast crowds ended in disaster when 11 mainly young fans died in a stampede near the city's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the players were parading the trophy. Media outlet India Today said Friday that Nikhil Sosale, RCB's head of marketing, was arrested at the Bengaluru airport. The Indian Express newspaper reported Sosale was arrested, along with an executive from the event management company DNA. The reported arrests come hours after Karnataka state's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that "legal action has been taken against the representatives of RCB", as well as the event organisers, and the state's cricket association. Siddaramaiah said a first information report, which marks the start of a police investigation, had been "registered against them". Local media reported that the charges include culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, among others. Siddaramaiah, who only uses one name, said top police officers in Bengaluru, including the city's police commissioner, have been suspended. "These officers appear to be irresponsible and negligent, and it has been decided to suspend them," Siddaramaiah said. The dead were mostly young fans, aged between 14 and 29, who were among a sea of people who had poured onto the streets to catch a glimpse of their heroes. RCB offered financial aid of $11,655 to each family of those killed, calling the deaths "unfortunate". Indian media have widely reported the team earned $2.3 million in prize money alone for taking the title on Wednesday. Kohli, who top-scored in the final, said he was "at a loss for words" after celebrations of a dream IPL crown turned to tragedy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the accident "absolutely heartrending". Siddaramaiah said earlier that the stadium had a capacity of "only 35,000 people, but 200,000-300,000 people came". AFP
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
Proteas batting under the microscope as Australia appear stronger in that department
South Africa's batsmen look like no match for their Australian counterparts on paper, but a deeper look reveals it's closer than it initially appears. South Africa's and Australia's bowlers are fairly evenly matched, so the battle for the World Test Championship (WTC) mace is likely to come down to whose batters perform best. On the face of it, Australia's batters are far superior. The Proteas are in the process of a hit-out against Zimbabwe in a warm-up match in Arundel in Sussex in preparation for the WTC final. All of the batters got a chance to be out in the middle and face a red leather ball for the first time since their New Year's Test at Newlands. Three batters passed 50 before retiring — Ryan Rickelton (62), Temba Bavuma (58) and Tristan Stubbs (58). The only batters to be dismissed were Aiden Markram (13) and Wiaan Mulder (26) as the team posted 313 with nine players padding and facing up. 'It was a nice opportunity for the batters to get out there,' said Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince. 'I'm sure some of the batters would have liked to stay out there a bit longer, but we're keeping an eye on the weather… We're taking this for what it is, it's preparation.' Bavuma and Rickelton scored their runs in quick time with strike rates of more than 65, while Stubbs faced more than double the number of balls to score his runs. 'Most of the guys got a nice stint out there in the middle,' Prince said. 'Some were a little bit more fluent than others, but we have some days left for all of the guys to find their rhythm. 'Batting can be that way sometimes where not everyone has the same rhythm. 'The main outcome is that everybody had a chance and could spend some time in the middle.' A closer look The South African batters' techniques will be under the microscope when they face Australia next week. Rickelton is the only Proteas batter in the World Test Championship squad with a batting average more than 40 (41.06). His last innings, which was a wonderfully constructed 259 against Pakistan in South Africa's last Test match, is a big reason it isn't below 40 as he had a stuttering start to his international red-ball career. Meanwhile, every batter in Australia's top six — barring the vacant opening spot — has a Test average in excess of 40 with star batter Steve Smith leading the way with a world-beating 56.74 average. While Smith has an outstanding record around the world, his overall average and those of the rest of the top six are inflated by their records in their home country, Australia. Smith's average would still exceed 50 even if he played every match of his career away from home, as he's one of the best Test batters to have played the game, but his overall average would be much lower if you remove the nearly 60 runs per innings he scores at home. Marnus Labuschagne, for example, averages nearly 56 in Australia but only 35 once he leaves Aussie shores. It's not unusual to be better suited to your home conditions, nearly every player averages more at home than away, but South Africa don't have the same luxury of scoring a similar volume of runs at home because of how tricky the conditions often are. Proteas batters aren't able to compensate to the same extent at home for poor away records. A tough outing Batting in Test cricket in South Africa is one of the hardest tasks in the sport, even if you're from the country. While Australia offers additional heightened bounce and speed off the wicket for bowlers, South African decks do the same with the inclusion of lateral movement, both off the deck and through the air — depending on the venue. High individual scores and team scores are rare in the republic. Over the past 10 years, besides South Africa, England are the only side to have scored over 400 more than once in the country. Statistically, 39.5% of matches in South Africa are likely to see a score in excess of 400 in any innings of a Test match (17 of the 43 matches that have been hosted in the country across the last 10 years). However, 67% of matches in Australia have seen a score in excess of 400 in any innings in a Test match in the same time period (35 of the 52 matches).
