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RCB Win IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Virat Kohli's long-awaited dream finally turned into a ravishing reality as the Rajat Patidar-led RCB lifted the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 trophy, breaking an 18-year drought and etching their name in the annals of the tournament's history after shattering the hearts of Punjab Kings in the final at the Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.
Unlike all the past years this time, the murmured chants of 'Ee Sala Cup Namde' did not get drown out into the neighbouring Sabarmati river as avid RCB fans finally witnessed their 'red and gold' team lift the trophy for the maiden time.
After 18 years, RCB finally got their hands on the IPL title with a 6-run win in the end despite Shashank Singh's final blitz that put the Bengaluru bowler under pressure for some moments.
Punjab Kings bowlers did more than a decent job to restrict Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 190 for nine.
However, their batters could not deliver under pressure as the Shreyas Iyer-led side could only manage 184/7 in 20 overs.
Krunal Pandya was the standout RCB bowler ending with two wickets for 17 runs in four overs.
RCB finally got to lift the trophy after finishing runners-up on three occasions previously. It was a heartbreaking loss for Punjab Kings who were playing only their second final and first since 2014.
A partisan crowd did not give up on RCB even as they struggled to find the flourish with the bat and ended up posting a total of 190/9 with superstar Kohli making a laborious 35-ball 43. At the break, RCB's total did not look enough but a persistent effort from their bowlers made the scoreboard pressure ultimately work in their favour.
With 29 needed off the final over, RCB's win was sealed when Josh Hazlewood bowled the second dot ball on the trot. Shashank Singh struck a valiant 61 not out off 30 balls (3x4s, 6x6s), but his effort came far too late as Punjab Kings ended at 184 for seven.
Josh Hazlewood provided the first breakthrough, Krunal Pandya bowled a dream spell of 4-0-17-2 in a summit clash but it was Romario Shepherd's dismissal of PBKS' gun captain Shreyas Iyer that finally indicated which way the game was headed.
All it took was an innocuous delivery outside off to see the back of the most dangerous batter in the final as Iyer, coming off a terrific knock in Qualifier 2, edged it behind off Shepherd and walked back with his head dropped.
Josh Inglis (39 off 23 balls, 1x4s, 4x6s) made every opportunity count when it came to hitting towards midwicket but Pandya had him caught at long-on in the 13th over. Thereafter, every dot ball drew appreciation from fans and they were at their loudest when RCB legend AB de Villiers appeared on the big screen on the ground, and also when PBKS were mathematically knocked out.
Desperate to strike early, RCB needed something special and Phil Salt produced a brilliant effort in the deep when Priyansh Arya (24) lifted the ball off Hazlewood in the fifth over. Salt made a dash from deep square leg to his right and took the catch reverse cupped and threw the ball up in the air as he hurtled past the ropes. He recovered quickly to get inside the field and take a stunning catch.
Punjab's impact sub Prabhsimran Singh (26 off 22 balls) succumbed to pressure even as his side made 52/1 in the powerplay.
Bhuvneshwar shut the doors on Punjab when he dismissed Nehal Wadhera (15) and Marcus Stoinis (6) in a span of three deliveries in the 17th over and thereon, RCB's triumph was only a formality.