WAITING ENDS @18

Led by Krunal in the bowling department, RCB defend score of 190 against PBKS to capture long-awaited crown

- GOMESH S @ Ahmedabad

VIRAT Kohli was in tears near the deep midwicket boundary. He was in disbelief. Josh Hazlewood had delivered two dot balls in the final over, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru become IPL champions—their first in 18 years. The one trophy Kohli and his team had been yearning for since the tournament's inception in 2008.

It did not matter that the next four balls went for 22 runs. Just as the final ball left Punjab Kings' batter Shashank Singh's bat, Kohli dropped down on his knees to be filled with tears. He buried his face, not wanting to get up. Captain Rajat Patidar and the rest of the team ran towards Kohli, embracing him as he got up. In 2025, one year after the women won their first-ever trophy in WPL, RCB men beat Punjab by just six runs to get their hands on the IPL trophy.

It had seemed inevitable from the moment Shreyas Iyer nicked Romario Shepherd and walked back in the chase of 191. The belief only grew as Josh Inglis hit Krunal Pandya straight into the hands of the long-on fielder. But when Marcus Stoinis fell in the 17th over to Yash Dayal with 49 runs needed, the fate was sealed.