IPL Final 2025: RCB Clinches Maiden Title, Virat Kohli's 18-Year Wait Ends
The Indian Premier League 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Virat Kohli's long wait to lay his hands on the IPL trophy finally ended as Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the Indian Premier League for the first time by defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in the final on Tuesday.
Given a below-par target of 191, PBKS kept losing wickets at regular intervals, with captain Shreyas Iyer being dismissed for just one run in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Krunal Pandya, who was the player of the match, was the pick of the bowlers for RCB with two wickets and giving away just 17 runs.
"This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team. It's been 18 long years, I have given this team my youth, my prime and my experience," Kohli said after the match. "I tried to win it every season and I gave it everything I have."
It's an unbelievable feeling, I never thought this day would come.Virat Kohli
Earlier, RCB posted a score of 190 for nine after PBKS won the toss and opted to bowl first. Virat Kohli was the top scorer for RCB with 43 off 35 balls, while Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson took three wickets each for PBKS.
This was Punjab's first title clash since 2014, while it was the fourth for RCB. The final was also the second successive for Shreyas Iyer as captain after marshalling Kolkata Knight Riders' triumph in 2024.
PBKS and RCB had finished at the top two positions respectively after a gruelling 70-match league round.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians' Surya Kumar Yadav won the Most Valuable Player award for IPL 2025. Gujarat Titans' Prasidh Krishna got the Purple Cap for taking the most wickets, while Sai Sudharsan bagged the orange cap for most runs. The GT batter also won the Emerging Player award.
