The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ended with a historic win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). After waiting for 18 long years, RCB finally won their first IPL title. The final match was full of emotions — joy and relief for RCB and heartbreak for Punjab Kings (PBKS). This victory was a big moment for RCB fans who have supported the team through many tough seasons. For Punjab Kings, it was a painful loss after playing strong cricket all season.

A night of joy for RCB and heartbreak for Punjab Kings

RCB's win was a special gift for their loyal fans who never gave up hope. Virat Kohli, one of RCB’s biggest stars, showed his emotions clearly as the team celebrated the victory. Even before the last ball was bowled, Kohli was moved by the moment. His teammates, including famous players AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, joined in celebrating his first IPL title as a player.

Kohli said, “I've given this team my youth, my prime, and now my experience. Every season, I’ve come out and given it everything I have to try and win this. To finally have this moment arrive – it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

RCB scored 190 runs for 9 wickets in their 20 overs. Although this was not a very high total, it was good enough on the day because of excellent bowling by RCB’s team. Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood led the bowling attack, keeping Punjab Kings under pressure. Punjab’s batsmen, however, could not handle the pressure in the final, and the team collapsed.

Punjab’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, had a very bad day, scoring only 1 run. The pitch was good for batting, but Punjab’s key players failed to perform on the big stage. This gave RCB a chance to defend their total easily.

Bowling makes the difference as RCB’s bowlers shine

For years, RCB was known for focusing on big-name batsmen but not having strong bowlers. This final showed a different RCB team — one where the bowlers took the spotlight. Krunal Pandya was the star, taking 2 wickets for just 17 runs. His bowling was praised by Virat Kohli, who said it was a performance “that will be remembered for ages”.

Earlier, Punjab bowlers had kept the game tight while defending RCB’s total. Arshdeep Singh bowled a brilliant final over, taking three wickets and giving away only three runs. This made sure Punjab’s batsmen could not score the runs needed.

A key moment was when Vijaykumar Vyshak, a bowler from Karnataka, took the wicket of Jitesh Sharma in the 18th over. This broke the momentum for Punjab and helped RCB stay in control.

Jitesh Sharma had played well for RCB earlier, scoring 24 runs off just 10 balls. He built an important partnership with Liam Livingstone, helping RCB reach a competitive total after they had lost some early wickets.

Virat Kohli, however, received criticism for his slow batting. He scored 43 runs off 35 balls and was cautious during his innings. Many fans and experts questioned his approach, especially on such an important day. Kohli hit only three boundaries and mostly took singles and twos instead of attacking aggressively. He was finally dismissed in the 15th over by Azmatullah Omarzai.

Punjab’s Phil Salt started their innings well but was out early. Shreyas Iyer, who caught Salt out, showed good captaincy by setting smart fields and putting pressure on the RCB batsmen.

Despite the good start by some Punjab players, the team struggled in the middle overs. When Josh Inglis got out after scoring 39 runs, Punjab’s chances dropped. Young player Nehal Wadhera was under pressure and scored just 15 runs off 18 balls.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of RCB’s bowlers, took two important wickets in the 17th over, dismissing Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis. This hurt Punjab’s chances even more.

Shashank Singh was the only Punjab batsman who tried to fight till the end. He scored 61 runs off 30 balls and hit 22 runs in the last over. However, Punjab needed 29 runs in that final over and could not reach the target.

After this historic win, Virat Kohli announced that the celebrations would continue for a while. A special victory parade is planned in Bengaluru to honour the team’s success. For RCB and their fans, this is the end of a long wait and the start of a new chapter with the IPL trophy finally coming home.

This IPL final showed how important teamwork, patience, and good bowling can be in winning big matches. For RCB, the 18-year wait was over, and the joy was priceless. For Punjab Kings, it was a tough loss but also a reminder of how much talent they have for the future.

RCB’s success is proof that hard work and belief can lead to great moments in sports. Fans will remember IPL 2025 as the year RCB finally made their dreams come true.

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