As the final moments of IPL 2025 came to a close, Virat Kohli just couldn’t hold back his feelings. With tears rolling down, he felt the long-overdue glory that the Royal Challengers Bangalore team bagged. After 17 years of near misses, RCB had finally conquered its first-ever IPL title being edged out by six runs against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad. Kohli fell on his knees, showing exactly what this meant to him and the team, and was once again overcome by emotion when he hugged his wife, Anushka Sharma.
Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting spoke about the moment and said that the tournament means immensely to all involved. He spoke about the fact that although teams like Chennai and Mumbai have won this trophy more often than a few times, it still remains a challenging thing to pull off. “I think in his eyes in that last over, Ponting said, It’s not easy to win this thing,” he added.
Consolidating this big win, Kohli also spoke about his appreciation of Test cricket. “This moment is up there with the best in my career, but for me, Test cricket is still number one. I just hope the younger players respect it because when you do well in Tests, people recognize that everywhere you go,” he shared with the cameras post-match.
Likewise, Ponting, with his undying love for Tests, concurred with Kohli’s musings. I’ll always be a purist when it comes to this game. My first love is Tests, and always will be.”
With this win, RCB is breaking away from a bunch of teams still looking for that first trophy, including the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. Then Bengaluru will also have their victory parade at 3:30 PM IST commemorating the new trophy!