After 17 seasons of heartbreak and near misses, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are finally IPL champions. In their fourth final appearance, they edged out Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in a thrilling contest at Ahmedabad to lift the IPL 2025 trophy. PBKS, who had an inspiring campaign of their own, fell just short, continuing their wait for a maiden title.
Batting first, RCB posted 190 for 9, with Virat Kohli anchoring the innings with a 35-ball 43. Though some questioned his strike rate, the pitch was tricky—unlike the high-scoring surfaces usually seen at this venue. Kohli struggled to play his signature pull shots, a sign of the two-paced nature of the surface. Despite quickfire cameos from Salt, Patidar, and Livingstone, RCB couldn’t fully break free. PBKS bowlers—especially Arshdeep Singh (3-40) and Kyle Jamieson (3-48)—kept things tight with well-executed variations.
PBKS, needing 191 to win, were well in the game at the halfway stage. However, Krunal Pandya, a three-time IPL winner, turned the tide. Though he scored just 4 off 5 with the bat, he made a massive impact with the ball. His tight lines and clever pace variations choked PBKS in the middle overs, leading to the crucial wickets of Prabhsimran Singh and others.
Josh Inglis kept PBKS in the hunt with a blistering 39, especially strong off the pull. But his departure attempting a big shot against Krunal came at a critical juncture. Shreyas Iyer too fell cheaply, echoing his 2023 World Cup final dismissal.
In the end, Shashank Singh’s unbeaten 61 off 30 almost pulled off the impossible. He hammered Hazlewood for 22 in the final over, but PBKS had needed 29 off it—too big a task, even for him.
RCB’s title was sealed by a bowling unit full of experience—Bhuvneshwar, Krunal, and Yash Dayal—all of whom had tasted IPL glory before. On a night where margins were razor-thin, their poise proved decisive.
For RCB fans, “Ee Sala Cup Namde” finally turned from hope to history.
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