Royal Challengers Bangalore have finally ended their 17-year-long wait for an IPL trophy. In the grand final held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, RCB defeated Punjab Kings by 6 wickets to lift their maiden IPL title. As Bangalore neared victory, tears welled up in Virat Kohli’s eyes. It took 18 years for RCB to claim their first-ever championship.
Punjab Kings, chasing a target of 191, got off to a decent start. However, wickets started tumbling regularly, and in the end, they managed only 184 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Krunal Pandya bowled a crucial spell, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar changed the game completely in the 17th over by dismissing Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis in the span of three deliveries. Shashank Singh was the top scorer for Punjab, playing a superb unbeaten knock of 61 runs off 30 balls. Josh Inglis also contributed with 39 runs. For Bangalore, both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya picked up 2 wickets each.
Earlier in the match, after losing the toss, Royal Challengers Bangalore batted first and posted 190 runs in 20 overs, giving Punjab Kings a target of 191 to chase in the IPL 2025 final. Virat Kohli was the top scorer for Bangalore with 43 runs off 35 balls, while Rajat Patidar chipped in with 26 runs. No other batter could play a big innings for RCB. For Punjab, Kyle Jamieson and Arshdeep Singh were the standout bowlers, claiming 3 wickets each.
Playing XIs of Both Teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (Wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal