In a historic turn of events, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title, ending Virat Kohli’s long wait for the coveted trophy. They triumphed over Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in a thrilling final held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, PBKS restricted RCB to a score of 190 for nine. Virat Kohli was the highest scorer for RCB with 43 runs off 35 balls, while Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson impressed for PBKS with three wickets each.
In response, PBKS, despite a seemingly manageable target of 191, faltered, losing wickets at regular intervals. Their captain, Shreyas Iyer, was dismissed for just one run. Krunal Pandya was the standout bowler for RCB, securing two crucial wickets while conceding only 17 runs.
This marked Punjab’s first appearance in an IPL final since 2014, while it was RCB’s fourth. Notably, it was also Shreyas Iyer’s second consecutive IPL final as captain, having led Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in 2024. Both PBKS and RCB had finished in the top two positions, respectively, after a challenging 70-match league stage.
