Source TOI
NEW DELHI — In an emotionally charged reflection on the RCB Podcast, cricket icon Virat Kohli opened up about the raw ecstasy of finally breaking the franchise’s long-standing IPL championship jinx. In a candid admission, Kohli revealed that lifting the trophy earlier in his career would not have given him even a fraction of the fulfillment he feels today.
For 18 agonizing years, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru carried the heavy tag of the tournament’s “almost champions.” No individual bore the crushing weight of that narrative more than Kohli, who joined the franchise as a teenager in the inaugural 2008 season.
Reflecting on the breathtaking, nerve-wracking final over of the championship match, Kohli admitted the sheer scale of the moment was overwhelming.
“It’s very difficult to explain to people in words how I felt in the last four balls of the last over,” Kohli confessed. “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, a big franchise that’s never won… There’s one thing to observe and there’s one thing to live it. And I have lived through all of those seasons.”
Rather than regretting the nearly two decades of near-misses, Kohli insists that the accumulation of stress and heartbreak actually magnified the sweetness of the ultimate victory.
“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,” Kohli admitted. “For it to happen after 18 years, there couldn’t have been a better experience for me in my cricketing journey.”
The historic triumph triggered an explosion of pure emotion across the cricketing world. Moments after the final ball, images and videos went viral showing Kohli celebrating with uninhibited, childlike joy alongside fellow franchise icons AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle—men who helped build the modern legacy of RCB.
According to the former Indian captain, the bond shared between the players, the franchise, and the city of Bengaluru is rooted in something far deeper than professional sports contracts.
“When people give so much of their own being to something, there is a very genuine and natural care and an emotional connect,” Kohli explained. “AB became the icon in India after he started playing for us… what he did for the team was beyond words. Things fell in place with Chris as well. He was sitting at home, gets called mid-season, has the season of his life, and his life changed within a week coming to Bangalore.”
He added that despite Gayle moving on to other teams later in his career, the West Indian legend still holds a “very soft spot for RCB” because of how deeply the city impacts those who play for it.
The grueling, 18-year wait has completely reshaped Kohli’s perspective on success. He noted that he no longer views a trophy as just a piece of silverware, but rather as a vehicle for collective inspiration.
“To be in a position where you actually can make a positive difference to people’s lives… It’s a phenomenal opportunity. It’s a great blessing,” he said.
Looking at the tactical evolution of the tournament, Kohli also compared modern T20 cricket to a high-stakes UEFA Champions League football match, emphasizing that the format has evolved into an entirely different sport where a single moment can irreversibly alter an entire campaign. For RCB and Kohli, that defining moment was 18 years in the making—and worth every second.
