RCB Crowned Champions After 17-Year Wait
News Desk
Islamabad: Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by their iconic batter Virat Kohli, finally ended their 17-season wait for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title by clinching a thrilling six-run victory over Punjab Kings in the final at Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Bengaluru set a target of 190-9, with Kohli once again leading from the front as the top scorer with a steady 43. However, it was their determined bowling effort that ultimately secured the historic win, as they held Punjab to 184-7 despite a valiant unbeaten 61 off 30 balls from Shashank Singh.
An emotional Kohli was seen in tears as he realized Bengaluru were on the verge of shedding the long-standing “underachievers” tag that had followed them since the IPL’s inception in 2008.
Batting first at the packed Narendra Modi Stadium, Bengaluru struggled to build lasting partnerships and fell short of the 200-run mark. Kohli anchored the innings, but the team found it hard to accelerate at crucial moments. At the halfway point, they were 87-2, leaving enough time for others to bat around their talisman.
Kohli eventually fell to a clever short ball from Azmatullah Omarzai, who completed a sharp return catch. Contributions from Jitesh Sharma (24 off 10) and Liam Livingstone (25) gave the innings some late momentum, but the team failed to fully capitalize in the final overs.
For Punjab, Kyle Jamieson took 3-48, while Arshdeep Singh delivered an exceptional final over, claiming three wickets and conceding only three runs.
Punjab began their chase strongly, with Prabhsimran Singh getting an early life when Romario Shepherd dropped him in the deep. However, Josh Hazlewood soon struck back as Phil Salt took a stunning catch to remove Priyansh Arya (24), breaking a 43-run opening stand.
Krunal Pandya then dismissed Prabhsimran, and Shepherd made amends by removing Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer, shifting the momentum in Bengaluru’s favor.
Pandya struck again to remove the dangerous Josh Inglis (39), and Bhuvneshwar Kumar all but sealed the win by dismissing Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis in a pivotal over—securing Bengaluru’s long-awaited maiden IPL title.
