Kohli rises at midnight as RCB conquers IPL 2025 trophy after years of heartbreak

In the late hours of an Ahmedabad night, long past when most cricketers would already be in bed, Virat Kohli could finally rest easy — like a baby, as he put it. Because after nearly two decades of unwavering loyalty, crushing near-misses, and relentless pursuit, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had at last scaled the peak of the IPL.

It took 18 years of commitment, 36 years of life, and countless nights of reflection, but Kohli — wearing his familiar No. 18 — stood with arms wide open and eyes brimming with tears as RCB clinched a six-run win over Punjab Kings to lift their maiden title.

As the final over ticked down and the improbable began to feel inevitable, Kohli bent over, burying his face in his hands, consumed by the moment. When victory was confirmed, he collapsed to the turf, overcome by emotion — his dream, long deferred, now a shimmering reality.

“I’ve given this team my youth, my prime, and everything I had. Never thought this day would come,” Kohli said, his voice cracking with the weight of years and memories. “This is as much AB’s as it is ours,” he added, pointing to his long-time friend and former teammate AB de Villiers, now watching from the commentary box.

Kohli’s path to this night has been one of grit and heartbreak. He played in three finals before, only to walk away empty-handed. For years, he was the face of a franchise more famous for its star power and meme-worthy collapses than silverware. But on this night, there was no collapse. There was only triumph.

The final echoed shades of India’s T20 World Cup win a year prior—Kohli’s bat may not have roared (43 off 35 balls), but his heart never stopped pounding. Even as the boundaries dried up, he ran with the desperation of a man who simply refused to let go. Every single, every misfield, every near-miss was met with visceral reactions. Kohli was not just playing—he was willing this team to victory.

In the field, he radiated the intensity of his younger self—appealing, admonishing, encouraging. No longer captain, yet still RCB’s spiritual leader. A man playing like it was his first match, not possibly one of his last.

RCB’s win wasn’t built on superstars but on synergy. The glamour of yesteryears gave way to grit and grind. The team leaned on Josh Hazlewood’s precision, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s late-career mastery, and the redemption arc of Yash Dayal —once hammered for five sixes in a final over, now delivering with ice in his veins.

Spinners Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya kept things tight, while skipper Rajat Patidar, not the flashiest name in the league, led with understated steel. It was a title forged not by spectacle, but by substance.

From the days of extravagant parties under Vijay Mallya to the thunderous sixes of the Chris Gayle era, RCB’s identity had long been tied to flair without fulfillment. That narrative finally ends here — with a team built not for show, but for silver.

As Kohli stood in the spotlight, soaking in the moment he had chased his entire career, he offered a line that said it all: “I can now sleep like a baby.”

And this time, the dreams will be sweet.