‘That experience I will never forget’: Virat Kohli on ending RCB’s title wait

Virat Kohli reflected on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic maiden Indian Premier League title win, describing the emotions, pressure, and surreal feeling of finally lifting the trophy after 18 seasons with the franchise.

Speaking in a video shared by RCB, Kohli said,

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“I have been here since day one, and so has Mane (Team’s masseur Ramesh Mane) Kaka. We are probably the oldest members of the RCB group, and to be very honest, when we reached the finals (against Punjab Kings), I felt a sense of calm confidence.”

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Virat reflects on the night of the #IPL2025 Final and what it truly means to be an IPL champion. ❤️#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/ZD0v8JCesj

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 22, 2026

Despite the belief, Kohli acknowledged the challenge of playing a final against strong opposition.

“It is a final, and there is another team that has played really, really well to get there and obviously beaten a lot of good sides, so they are also very confident of what they want to do.”

Reflecting on past heartbreaks, he added that previous final losses only strengthened the team’s resolve.

“Because the league has become so much more competitive, we must have played really good cricket to get to the finals. It is not a fluke, it is not by chance. We have beaten some really good teams, and we are an amazing side who have earned the right to be here on this day. All in all, it was an amazing night for all of us.”

Kohli also opened up about the emotional weight of the moment, with memories from his 18-year journey flashing before his eyes.

“It was quite surreal for me honestly, quite unbelievable when it was all unfolding in the end. So many things flash in front of your eyes. The whole journey for 18 years, all the ups and downs, all the good moments, bad moments, it’s like the accumulation of all of that is unfolding in front of you, and that is going to happen in the next 10 minutes. It is a very difficult thing to explain, it is a thing to experience.”

He further described the tense closing moments of the final, calling them the most difficult part of the night.

“And that experience I will never ever forget. And especially the last over, where you know the game is sealed, hoping that Josh (Hazlewood) does not bowl a no-ball, which he never does. So there was a quiet confidence but still as I said you are hoping for the perfect result. So knowing that the game is beyond them and then to wait for those last three balls was probably the toughest part of the night.”

Kohli played a key role in RCB’s title-winning campaign, finishing as the team’s leading run-scorer with 657 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71.