Virat Kohli has opened up on the emotions of finally winning his first IPL title last season after a long and testing wait. The RCB stalwart, who has been part of the same franchise for 19 seasons, had come close on three occasions by reaching the final, but the elusive trophy always slipped away.
Over the years, RCB often faced criticism and online trolling for not converting their star-studded squads into championship success, despite featuring some of the biggest names in world cricket. The franchise has seen legends like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, KL Rahul, Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen, Dale Steyn, Mitchell Starc and Rahul Dravid represent them alongside Kohli across different eras.
After 17 long seasons of heartbreak and near misses, RCB finally broke the jinx last year with a memorable title win. The moment turned deeply emotional for Kohli, who went down on his knees as Josh Hazlewood bowled the final delivery of the summit clash against Punjab Kings, sealing a historic triumph and sparking wild celebrations within the camp.
“I still say it’s very difficult to explain to people in words how I felt in the last four balls of the last over,” Kohli said on RCB’s podcast.
The former skipper reflected on the weight of expectations that have surrounded Royal Challengers Bengaluru over the years, acknowledging how the franchise has often been labelled as one of the biggest sides yet to lift the IPL trophy. He spoke about the pressure that builds season after season and how it is far different experiencing it from the inside rather than observing it from the outside.
“When you see from the outside what has happened to the franchise, how RCB has been looked at for so many years… as a big team, big franchise that’s never won – the almost champions, the ones that have come close but never really won the trophy. And for that pressure to build over so many years, like season after season… There’s one thing to observe it and there’s one thing to live it. And I have lived through all of those seasons,” he said.
Kohli also looked back at the iconic overseas stars who became closely associated with the franchise over the years, highlighting how AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle left a lasting mark.
“AB (de Villiers) became this icon in India after he started playing for us. How the fans embraced him, how they loved him. What he did for the team was beyond words, the impact he had… He (Chris Gayle) was sitting at home, gets called mid-season, has the season of his life. His life completely changed within a week of coming to Bangalore. He has a very soft spot for RCB in his heart,” he added.
Virat Kohli reflects on long wait
Kohli opened up on his long journey with RCB, saying the franchise and its fans have always meant a natural emotional bond. He recalled being overwhelmed after the title win, going down on his knees in gratitude, thanking fate for experiencing it before the end of his career.
“Our franchise, our city, our team, our fans has been about impacting people in a very natural way. And I felt that impact probably more than anyone over the course of 18 years. All those emotions, all those feelings came out in a form of just being on my knees and just holding my hands and saying, thank you. That I could experience this before I stopped playing.”
Kohli also offered a candid reflection on how different things might have felt had he ended his IPL journey without ever winning the title with RCB.
“Although I wouldn’t have carried on regretting it. But there would have been a part of me that would have wondered, you know, what it would have felt like to experience that moment. I can for sure, with absolute honesty and clarity, say that it wouldn’t have been 5% of the feeling I had, had we won it in the earlier years. And the accumulation of all that stress and all that pressure. And for it to happen after 18 years, there couldn’t have been a better experience for me in my cricketing journey,” he concluded.