RCB 2025: Not just Challengers anymore. Champions too

After 18 years of heartbreak, near-misses, and a label that clung a little too tightly—"always the entertainers, never the champions"—Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally changed the script. On a heady summer night at the Narendra Modi Stadium, they claimed their first IPL title, defeating Punjab Kings by six gripping runs in the 2025 final.

The scoreboard told a tale of balance: 190 for 9 from RCB, 184 for 7 in reply by PBKS. But the real story was written in grit, redemption, and decades of hope carried by fans who never gave up.

Kohli Leads, Without Leading

It was fitting that Virat Kohli, the face of RCB for nearly two decades, played a central role. His 43 off 35 wasn’t a blitz, but a captain’s knock in spirit—steady, calculated, and fired by the weight of years. Stripped of the captaincy and free from its burdens, Kohli seemed to channel every past disappointment into disciplined focus.

He wasn’t alone. Rajat Patidar, captaining RCB this season, showed tactical maturity beyond his years. Coach Andy Flower and Director of Cricket Mo Bobat stitched together a team with purpose—adding finishers, stabilizers, and bowlers with ice in their veins.

Bowling Wins Championships

The unsung hero? Krunal Pandya, whose figures of 2 for 17 in four overs turned the tide in the final. With Punjab closing in, his wickets of Prabhsimran and Rilee Rossouw choked the chase and left too much to do in the death.

Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both seasoned international bowlers, delivered tight lines under pressure. Hazlewood ended the season with 22 wickets, his best return in IPL yet. Bhuvneshwar, often under the radar, conceded just 8 in the final over with 11 needed—a masterclass in control.

Season in Review: From Consistency to Command

This wasn’t a flash in the pan. RCB:

• Finished 2nd in the league stage

• Won all their away games—an IPL first

• Topped metrics in dot balls and death-over economy (8.1)

Their fielding, long a liability, became a weapon. Phil Salt and Will Jacks threw themselves at everything. Jitesh Sharma, behind the stumps, notched 20 dismissals.

And Kohli? He scored 657 runs across the season. No Orange Cap, but a platinum presence.

Post-Match Tears and Tweets

As cameras panned to Kohli post-match—arms lifted, eyes moist—it was clear this wasn’t just a win. It was release. “Tonight, I’ll sleep like a baby,” he said.

Even Vijay Mallya, the team’s original owner, chimed in from afar: “When I signed Kohli in 2008, I always knew this day would come. So proud of this team.”

Not Just Challengers, But Champions

From being the league's nearly-men to finally lifting the trophy, RCB’s win was a triumph of belief over doubt. It was a moment when the loudest crowd in the IPL could finally celebrate not just loyalty—but legacy.

In cricketing circles, dynasties are built not in one win, but what follows. If the cohesion and strategy of this 2025 squad is any clue, RCB may have only just begun.

For Bengaluru’s faithful, who’ve waited nearly two decades, this headline is sweeter than any chant: “RCB: IPL Champions.”