The IPL 2025 was highly successful for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who won their maiden title, beating Punjab Kings by six runs in the final of the cash-rich league in Ahmedabad. RCB had been chasing the title since the inaugural season back in 2008 before finally claiming the ultimate prize last year.
They were runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016; however, their relentless determination yielded a positive result last year, with the side racing to the title victory. As RCB now gear up for the 19th edition of the tournament, the side's legendary batter Virat Kohli, reflecting on the team's title win, revealed that he felt a sense of calm confidence after the win.
“To be very honest, when we reached the finals, I felt a sense of calm confidence. But you also understand it's not going to be a cakewalk; it's a final, and there's another team who's played really, really well to get there and obviously beaten a lot of good sides, so they are also very confident in what they want to do," Virat Kohli said in a video posted by RCB.
Kohli underlined that their near-misses history gave them an extra motivation, which helped them overcome past challenges. Further stressing, the batting icon believed the victory was not a fluke given the opponent's (PBKS) competitive spirit. Moreover, Virat Kohli's performance was also one of the key factors behind RCB's title win, piling up 657 runs in 15 innings, including eight half-centuries.
“Given the history of the near misses and the almost moments of the past where we reached the finals and we could not win, I think that gave us extra motivation to hold our nerve because the league has become so much more competitive. We must have played really good cricket to get to the finals. It's not a fluke. It's not by chance. We've beaten some really good teams, and we are an amazing side who have earned the right to be here on this day. All in all it was an amazing night for all of us. It was quite surreal for me, honestly quite unbelievable when it was all unfolding in the end," Kohli said.