New Delhi: Seasons of heartbreaks came to a glorious end in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League for red jersey number 18, Virat Kohli, who, over the years, hoping against hope, had continued streamlining his youth, peaks, and legacy into his team.
Eighteen years. One hope. And this hope of all the players and all the fans sprang to life Tuesday as Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally clinched its first-ever Tata IPL 2025 title, defeating Punjab Kings in the finals in Ahmedabad.
RCB made history on 3 June 2025, but success came at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Thrice, RCB had made it to the finals but only to taste bitter defeats against the Deccan Chargers in 2009, the Chennai Super Kings in 2011, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
Of the lot, the 28 May 2016 defeat stung like a lightning bolt. Kohli and other players have admitted—“that one hurt the most”.
And it was not like RCB lacked firepower—it had AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, KL Rahul—the squad of dreams. Yet, somehow, RCB kept falling short and was slapped with the tag of “IPL chokers”.
The iconic chant, “ee saala cup namde”, a Kannada phrase translating to “this year, the cup is ours”, soon became meme material. Each season ended in heartbreak, meme-fests, and “maybe next year”s. However, the fandom just kept growing—louder, crazier, more loyal, and one of the biggest in the league—though RCB did not bring a single title home.
Year after year, the fans prayed, and the cricket gods ghosted them. But they still showed up. Every. Single. Season.
However, for every 28 May 2016, there is a 3 June 2025.
Hence, on Tuesday night, the celebration in Bengaluru was unreal. The sky exploded with fireworks as if Diwali had come early.
For RCB and every single Virat Kohli fan, it was a day of closure and redemption, as well as a love story fulfilled.
Also Read: Kannada debate reaches IPL doorstep before mega final—‘today in RCB, tomorrow JCB’
Second favourite team
For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the 2008 debut IPL season was nothing short of a disaster. The team finished seventh on the points table, winning just four of its 14 games. Its star-studded squad, including Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, looked strong on paper but lacked the T20 spark.
Under the captaincy of Anil Kumble, RCB reached its first IPL final in 2009 but lost to Deccan Chargers. It made it to the playoffs in 2010, but the title still eluded the team.
The season after that, RCB topped the league table with nine wins and looked unstoppable. It was the year Chris Gayle exploded onto the IPL scene, smashing sixes like he was playing a game in his backyard.
With AB de Villiers, Kohli, and Gayle forming a holy trinity, RCB reached the finals again but lost to Chennai Super Kings.
Two finals. Two losses.
By 2012, RCB had become the second favourite team for everyone—if your team got knocked out, you quietly rooted for Bangalore.
Since the players brought raw emotions to the field as they hit sixes and broke records, they emerged as the most loved cricketers in the game.
Chris Gayle’s 175 off 66 balls in 2013 remains the highest individual score in IPL history. Kohli, meanwhile, was coming into his own. AB de Villiers was pulling off some miraculous shots.
Yet, they missed the playoffs, there were meltdowns at crucial moments, and the IPL title remained a dream.
Heartbreak that stings
Every RCB-ian will agree that 2016 is the year that should have been.
Kohli scored a record 973 runs, studded with four centuries, in that season. The batting by Royal Challengers Bengaluru was unreal.
They stormed into the finals against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, fate, once again, was cruel. Chasing 208 runs, RCB collapsed in the final overs and lost by a mere eight runs.
The image of Kohli staring blankly into the distance was a picture of a man broken. That loss haunted the team for years.
While the core of RCB remained intact, nothing worked.
Injuries, poor auction strategies, and over-reliance on a few star batters— everything led to bottom-table finishes. RCB finished last in two consecutive years—2017 and 2019.
The season after that, with a new coaching staff and a more balanced squad, RCB began to show signs of revival. In 2020, it qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
In 2021 and 2022, it made it to the playoffs again but stumbled.
When Kohli stepped down as captain after the 2021 season, Faf du Plessis took over leadership, and the team began building with a long-term goal as its target.
However, the title still danced just out of reach.
Also Read: Last dance, first chance: IPL to get 1st-time champion as RCB, Punjab Kings clash in final
Redemption arc
For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the wait of 18 years ended on 3 June 2025.
The finals appeared to be slipping away from the squad when Punjab Kings first came out to chase. Krunal Pandya, however, made all the difference. His bowling not only picked up two key wickets but also allowed the Kings to score only 17 runs in four overs. The spell removed the dangerous Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis, creating a crack in the run chase by Punjab. Thereafter, the Kings could not recover. No wonder that the spell will likely go down in the history books as “legendary”.
With his bat, Shashank Singh did put up a fiery show for the Kings towards the end, but it was a little too late.
And finally, for RCB, the Cup is “namdu”.
Looking back on the journey leading up to the victory, the RCB story can be considered a lesson on loyalty, patience, and hope.
What stands out is that the team redefined fandom in the IPL. Fans stuck with them through everything. It was not only a team but also an emotion.
With the title won, the narrative will now change. No longer just entertainers and no longer just “almost there”, RCB, “ee saala”, is the champion.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: Coach Ricky Ponting says Test snub has made Shreyas Iyer ‘hungrier’ for IPL trophy