SRINAGAR: Virat Kohli stood near the boundary, watching closely. One more over remained. The wait of 18 years was about to end.
Josh Hazlewood defended 29 runs in the final over. The match ended. Kohli dropped to his knees, covering his face. His teammates gathered around him. RCB’s No. 18 had finally won the IPL.
It marked the end of a long journey between Kohli and the franchise, one that lasted nearly two decades through many ups and downs.
Kohli joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2008 as a bold, unfiltered 19-year-old. In a dressing room of icons like Dravid, Kumble, and Kallis, he stood out. The franchise backed him early, and in 2011, entrusted him with captaincy at just 22. Many would have faltered. Kohli embraced it.
Across 12 seasons and 143 matches as captain, Kohli never lifted the trophy. Yet, he stayed. His bond with the club deepened, his connection with Bengaluru grew. Unlike Dhoni’s instant stardom in Chennai, Kohli’s journey with RCB matured over time — like the city he represented.
Despite the success of rival Southern teams — CSK with five titles, Hyderabad with two — and Mumbai’s dominant run under Rohit Sharma, Kohli never walked away. He remained the face of RCB’s fight, a constant amid the drought.
“For me, what’s more valuable is the relationship and mutual respect that has been created over so many years,” he had said recently on the RCB podcast. “The love I’ve received from the fans — I don’t think any trophy can come close to that.”
