‘Amazing feeling’ as Kohli & RCB end 18-year wait for IPL title

Salt struck 16 from nine balls before being caught by Shreyas Iyer off Kyle Jamieson, while England all-rounder Liam Livingstone hit 25 as the side’s numbers three to six all posted scores in the mid-20s.

Having accumulated steadily, Andy Flower’s team failed to accelerate in the final over, with Arshdeep Singh taking three wickets in his last six balls to ensure RCB didn’t pass 200.

Kings found themselves 98-4 in the 13th over of their reply, losing captain and star batter Shreyas for just one, caught by Jitesh Sharma off Romario Shepherd.

Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh began to rebuild, but their side’s challenge effectively ended when Wadhera and the big-hitting Marcus Stoinis were both caught in the space of three Bhuvneshwar Kumar deliveries.

Needing 29 from Josh Hazlewood’s final over, Shashank hammered 22 from the last four balls of the innings, bringing his side tantalisingly close to their target with an unbeaten 61.

However, his efforts were ultimately in vain, and after 18 seasons and three previous final defeats, Kohli and RCB could finally celebrate a successful IPL campaign.

It has been a long wait for Kohli, who played in the first IPL game for RCB in April 2008.

Then aged 19, he was bowled for one, but he would go on to hit 8,661 runs at an average of 39.54, with eight hundreds and 63 half-centuries.

He tasted defeat in his side’s three final appearances, losing to Deccan Chargers in 2009, Chennai Super Kings in 2011 and to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, while he also captained the franchise between 2013 and 2021.

“This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team,” Kohli said afterwards.

“It’s been 18 long years. I’ve given this team my youth, my prime and my experience. I’ve tried to win this every season when I come, give it everything I have.

“I was overcome with emotion as soon as the last ball was bowled.”

Kohli has been in strong form in recent years, averaging over 50 in the past three seasons, including 54.75 in this campaign, and now gets to lift the IPL trophy after 267 matches in the competition.

It is his latest triumph in the past 12 months, after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.

Kohli added: “This is far more special than winning it with anyone else, because my heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore. As I said, this is the team I’m going to play for ’til the last day I play the IPL.

“As sportsmen we grind for something, and this is a very high-intensity, high-quality tournament. I’m someone that wants to win the big tournaments, the big moments. This one was missing and tonight I’m going to sleep like a baby.”

The title also represents another success in the franchise coaching career of Flower, who took over RCB for the competition’s 2024 edition.

The Ashes-winning former England coach led RCB to fourth in his first season, losing in the eliminator match, before placing second this year, behind Kings on net run-rate.

Flower’s side then beat Kings in the first qualifier match to progress straight to the final, before repeating that feat five days later.

It also follows wins in the Pakistan Super League with Multan Sultans in 2021 and Trent Rockets in The Hundred in 2022.

England internationals Salt, Livingstone and Jacob Bethell will also be awarded winner’s medals.

Both Salt and Livingstone took catches in the final, while Bethell was playing for England in the third ODI against the West Indies during the game, having returned home for international duty.

Salt and Bethell, who played two matches in his first IPL season, enjoyed success in the competition for the first time, while Livingstone, 31, has won consecutive titles after lifting the trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders last year.-BBC