 "Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli end title drought, beat Punjab Kings to lift maiden trophy")
Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their long wait for an IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. A complete team performance, highlighted by Krunal Pandya’s game-changing spell and clutch bowling at the death, saw RCB hold their nerves in a high-stakes thriller and lift their first-ever IPL trophy.
RCB win maiden title, Kohli gets emotional
Chasing a competitive target of 191, Punjab Kings were off to a brisk start thanks to Priyansh Arya (24 off 19) and Prabhsimran Singh (26 off 22), who added 43 runs for the opening wicket. However, RCB turned the game around through the brilliance of Krunal Pandya , who bowled a sensational spell of 4-0-17-2 on a big night. He dismissed both Prabhsimran and Josh Inglis, who was threatening to take the game away with his 39 off 23 balls.
After Inglis’s dismissal, Punjab’s chase lost momentum. Regular wickets and pressure from the RCB bowling unit, especially Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/25) and Yash Dayal (1/17), tightened the noose. Punjab managed 184/7 in 20 overs with Shashank Singh providing a late fireworks but in vain. RCB won the match by 6 wickets and won their first title in 18 years.
Earlier, RCB had posted 190/9 in their 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Virat Kohli led the charge with a steady 43 off 35 balls, while cameos from Rajat Patidar (26 off 16), Liam Livingstone (25 off 15), and Jitesh Sharma (24 off 10) gave RCB the late boost. Kyle Jamieson (3/48) and Arshdeep Singh (3/40) starred with the ball for Punjab, but couldn’t prevent RCB from getting to a strong total.
With this win, Rajat Patidar becomes the first RCB captain to lift the IPL trophy, breaking a title jinx that has haunted the franchise since its inception in 2008. Virat Kohli and his teammates were left in tears after the win. Anushka Sharma was seen in the stands shedding tears for his Kohli’s win.
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