Virat Kohli recalls ‘surreal and unbelievable’ night while winning IPL 2025 title, says ‘whole journey of…’

Virat Kohli is the only cricketer in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team to have played in all 18 seasons in the Indian Premier League.

Former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Virat Kohli waited 18 long years to clinch the elusive Indian Premier League title by winning the IPL 2025 final by nine runs against Punjab Kings. Kohli has been the longest serving cricketer in the RCB team and has endured all the ups and downs with the team.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, where RCB will be getting ready to defend their title beginning with the season-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28. Kohli reflected on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL triumph, describing the moment as the culmination of an 18-year journey with the franchise.

“It was a very special night for all of us at RCB. I have been here since day one and so has Ramesh Mane (Team Masseur and Caretaker). We are probably the oldest members of the RCB group,” Kohli said.

Reflecting on the lead-up to the title clash against Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings, Kohli said the team entered the Final with quiet confidence. “When we reached the finals, I felt a sense of calm confidence. But you also understand it’s not going to be a cakewalk. It’s a Final and there is another team who has played really well to get there. Obviously, they have also beaten a lot of good sides so they are also very confident of what they want to do.”

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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

Kohli has been retained for Rs 21 crore by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the IPL 2026 season. He has scored 8661 runs in 267 matches for RCB at a strike-rate of 132.85 with 8 centuries and 63 fifties to his name.

“Given the history of the near misses and the almost moments of the past where we reached the finals and we could not win. I think that gave us extra motivation to hold our nerve. Because the league has become so much more competitive, we must have played really good cricket to get to the finals. It’s not a fluke; it’s not by chance. We have beaten some really good teams, and we are an amazing team. Who have earned the right to be here on this day,” Kohli said.

Reflecting on the final moments of the match, Kohli said the emotions of the journey came rushing back, Kohli said, “All in all, it was an amazing night for all of us. It was quite surreal for me honestly, quite unbelievable when it was all unfolding in the end. So many things flashed 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 ten minutes. It’s a very difficult thing to explain. It’s a thing to experience. And that experience I will never ever forget.”

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The Times Of Bengal