Kohli reflects on 18-year wait as RCB begin life as defending champions

For the first time, Royal Challengers Bengaluru begin an IPL season as defending champions. They had come close in 2009, 2011 and 2016, but fell short at the final step each time. Through all those heartbreaks, one constant remained - Virat Kohli, who had been part of every rise and fall, waiting for this moment to arrive.

When it finally happened, it felt less like a celebration and more like a release of everything that had come before it.

"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 ahead of the 2026 IPL season, revisiting the winning moments of 2025.

RCB went into the final against Punjab Kings with belief, but without getting carried away. Kohli said the team was confident, while also aware of the quality of the opposition and the demands of a final.

"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."

The past disappointments could have weighed them down, but Kohli felt it had the opposite effect. Those near misses helped the team stay steady in the big moments.

"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."

As the match moved towards its conclusion, Kohli said the occasion became deeply personal. The result brought with it a rush of memories from his long journey with the franchise.

"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."

Even when the result was almost certain, the nerves did not completely settle. Kohli admitted that the final over, especially the wait for the last few balls, felt like the hardest part of the night.

"Especially the last over where you know the game is sealed. Hoping that Josh [Hazlewood] doesn't bowl a no ball which he never does. There was quite confidence but still as I said, you are hoping for the perfect result. So, knowing that the game is beyond them and then to wait for those last three balls was probably the toughest part of the night," recalled Kohli.