NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli couldn’t hold back his emotions as Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their 18-year wait for an IPL title. But in the moment of triumph, Kohli made sure two of RCB’s greatest stalwarts — AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle — were front and centre in the celebration.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in a tense IPL 2025 final, Kohli dedicated the title to the two legendary former teammates who shaped the franchise’s identity alongside him.
Who's that IPL player?“I have spent my prime years with them. I know how much we tried to win this. We were so close a couple of times, and we were such a good team; we had the explosiveness, but we could never cross the line. We gave our prime years to this franchise,” Kohli said, visibly emotional in his post-match chat with broadcasters.
De Villiers and Gayle were on the sidelines at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, witnessing the final chapter of a dream they once relentlessly pursued with Kohli. The trio were instrumental in RCB’s rise as one of the IPL’s most-followed teams, with the 2016 season — where they narrowly missed the title — etched in memory.
“I promise you this feels 10 times more special because these two are standing next to me. Honestly, it is as much theirs as it is mine,” Kohli added. “These guys have given everything to this team. When they come to Bengaluru, people go berserk. It is equally their trophy.”
De Villiers scored 4,522 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 158.33, while Gayle amassed 3,163 runs with five centuries, including the iconic 175 not out. For Kohli, this win wasn’t just redemption — it was legacy fulfilled, and shared.
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