It was a long wait but perhaps worth the while. Royal Challengers Bangalore finally made it to the winners’ list winning IPL 2025 and ending a title-drought that had lasted 18 years! A team with the iconic Virat Kohli in its ranks, had always made its presence in the competition all these years but never had the silverware in its midst to show, in spite of all the enthusiasm, the on-field energy, class performances and not to forget a legion of supporters to back them. All this has been corrected with this grand win over a spirited rival the Punjab Kings, which was also looking out for its first title-win.

Clearly it was a win that Kohli would cherish for a long long time. The former India skipper and perhaps one who is the face of Indian cricket had been on the winning side in most other top tournaments but this one success had eluded him all this while. Kohli had been with the RCB right from inception and he was one player who stuck to this franchise from then on unlike most others. The perseverance and his drive finally paid off handsomely. Kohli’s cabinet is now complete and what a moment it had to be for this loyal soldier of Indian cricket!

Anyone who had missed the final action would have thought that the match ended on a nail-biting finish for just six runs separated the two teams. But RCB had almost stitched it up even before the final over was bowled by the team’s key bowler Hazlewood. The reason: PBKS had lost much of its fire power by then. Shashank Singh was the lone warrior. True he produced a few big hits to pluck 22 runs in the final over but all that seemed a final cry in a lost chase. Nonetheless it was an absorbing final, a battle of wits where RCB went ahead once the rival’s key man, its skipper Shreyas Iyer in particular fell, unable to produce the touch that had catapulted the Punjab team into the summit round at the expense of Mumbai Indians.

The IPL had truly had the fans in a cricket mania for over two months and this was enough proof of where cricket stood in terms of popularity. The richest cricket league in the world with the sport’s best-known names in the action, the event had a tremendous following in the cricket world. This is one competition where prediction never succeeded nor did the presence of class players assure success straightway. The excitement lay in the way new talents grab the limelight and leave the established lot in a state of disbelief. None other than Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre come to mind, the former is just 14 years and the latter is not even 18. The way they smashed the ball around, facing some of the well known bowlers in world cricket, it seemed to be in a domain of fantasy! Age is after all just a number, the two could not have stressed that better!

But then it must still be said, age really mattered. The experience of Chennai Super Kings is an example here. Aside from Mumbai Indians, it is CSK which had an enviable record in the IPL. Both these teams had won the title five teams each none else could be anywhere near this. The M S Dhoni-led CSK had virtually mesmerised its followers with its spectacular shows all these years. Dhoni was the magic which transformed CSK and his followers always had believed that ‘Thala’ would do what others could not. The picture of the 2011 world cup final is often referred to while describing Dhoni’s greatness. The man not only pulverises the rival bowling but gets what he aims for. Dhoni’s big hitting abilities are well known but to expect him to keep doing that even in his early 40s is perhaps asking too much. But there was disappointment and perhaps what CSK followers’ believe was a big let-down. That CSK ended up this season finishing last in the ten-team league table is an example of how expectations, dreams and performances can get jumbled up!

The story will not end here. The IPL will keep growing and no team will sit back and let opportunities go by. Planning and preparations would start for the next season and surely there is much to come. From an event which was expected to give an entertainment angle to cricket with the T20 format, today IPL has also become the biggest forum to unravel the country’s growing talent in cricket. Jasprit Bumrah was discovered through IPL and today he stands as one of the best bowlers in the world. Who knows, with proper moulding and experience we may hear of Suryavanshi and Ayush’s exploits in glowing terms at the international level before long. The chain could continue and the biggest gain will be for Indian cricket even as IPL ensures that the sport remains healthy on the financial front as well.

For now, the focus will be on RCB—not just on its well-deserved celebrations, but also on King Kohli, who has achieved yet another milestone in his illustrious career.