Kohli and RCB Finally Lift Their First IPL Trophy

It’s been eighteen years since the start of the IPL, and RCB—along with Kohli—was yet to hold the trophy. With 18 on his back, many fans were hoping this would be his year. Finally, the wishes of one of the league's biggest fanbases have come true. Their victory came at the expense of another such team—Punjab Kings—who are also yet to win a trophy, despite playing some of the best cricket the league has ever seen.

Toss and Team News 

Shreyas Iyer won the toss of the Final and decided to field first. Both the sides were unchanged from their previous encounters.

PBKS Playing XI: Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dubey

RCB Playing XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood
Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh

Kohli Steers the RCB Innings with Support from Key Cameos

Reports suggested the pitch would favor batters, and bowlers would struggle—but it turned out to be the opposite. Bowlers dominated most of the match, with only occasional phases belonging to the batters.

Salt made a quick start for RCB but was caught trying to clear mid-on in the second over. Agarwal batted well for his 18-ball 24 but struggled at times. RCB finished the powerplay at 55 for 1, which commentators described as a slow start.

The biggest indicator of the pitch’s slowness was Kohli’s timing—he couldn’t find the middle of the bat and struggled for boundaries. Still, he kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and twos. Patidar came in and added 26 off 16. Kohli departed soon after, with the score at 131 for 4 in 15 overs.

Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Romario Shepherd played some excellent shots at the death to push the score close to 190. Jitesh and Livingstone took 22 off Jamieson in the 17th over, and Shepherd smashed a six off Omarzai. Overall, it was a solid batting performance to post a defendable total.

PBKS’s bowling was disciplined, with frequent low bouncers and slower deliveries. They prevented any major partnerships by taking regular wickets. Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson picked up three wickets each, with all of Arshdeep’s scalps coming in the final over. Omarzai and Vyshak were economical and took one wicket apiece.

Iyer and the Final Heartbreak

It was a story reminiscent of the 2023 ODI World Cup for Shreyas Iyer. In that tournament, he played a brilliant innings in the semifinal but was dismissed cheaply in the final by Cummins, leading to India’s defeat. In similar fashion, Iyer had starred in PBKS’ Qualifier 2 win but was caught behind for just 1 in the final—leaving his team needing 112 off 62 balls.

Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh gave PBKS a cautious start before Arya was dismissed for 24. Prabhsimran’s innings lacked momentum and ended at 26 off 22. Iyer’s early dismissal truly broke PBKS’ back, despite their deep batting lineup.

Josh Inglis was the only batter who seemed unfazed. On a pitch where most batters struggled to time the short ball, he smashed four sixes off the back foot. He scored 39 off 23, and while he was at the crease, PBKS remained in the hunt. But once he fell, the hopes dwindled—93 runs were still required off 47 balls.

Shashank Singh played a brilliant late cameo, smashing three sixes and a four off Hazlewood’s last four deliveries. However, he had missed the first two of the final over, with 29 needed. In the end, RCB won by 6 runs—ending their long and emotional quest for an IPL title.

Krunal Pandya Turns the Match

Krunal Pandya was the game-changer for RCB in the second innings. When PBKS looked in control, he came in and applied the brakes. In his first over, he conceded just three runs and dismissed Prabhsimran. Returning in the 13th over, he removed Inglis—a decisive blow. His final figures were 4-0-17-2, absolutely crucial in a high-pressure final. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal also bowled excellently, with Bhuvi picking up two key wickets.

Man of the Match

Krunal Pandya won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant, match-winning spell.

Player of the Tournament

Suryakumar Yadav was exceptional throughout the 2025 IPL and the main reason for Mumbai Indians’ revival in the second half of the tournament. He scored 717 runs and was named Player of the Tournament.