At long last: On the IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s win.
Bengaluru finally laid old ghosts and recent memes to rest.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) inaugural game on April 18, 2008. It was a night that, however, belonged to rival Kolkata Knight Riders with Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 158 putting the match well beyond the host in its backyard at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. In the subsequent editions, the franchise with a fiercely loyal fan base, promised much, delivered little and had three runner-up finishes to show. Finally, the ghosts of the past were laid to rest when Rajat Patidar’s men claimed the title with a six-run victory over Punjab Kings in the summit clash at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday night (June 3, 2025). RCB’s triumph in the IPL’s 18th edition was also a tribute to Virat Kohli’s longevity. He has been with the squad since its first game in 2008. In a unit that featured stars such as Rahul Dravid, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Ross Taylor in the past, Kohli has been the forever spine. The young lad has grown into a patriarch, and he has achieved enough and more with the Indian team, both as player and captain, but a missing IPL trophy, always rankled him. Finally that aberration has been corrected and there was no mistaking the relief and joy that coursed through him on a surreal June night.
Patidar’s assurance, Kohli’s experience, spinner Krunal Pandya’s choking spells, and Josh Hazlewood’s sharp pace, all combined well while many others dished out cameos to keep RCB in the hunt through the latest IPL. Even if the cup proved elusive, Punjab Kings did remarkably well, especially its captain Shreyas Iyer; he will have a larger role with the Indian ODI team whenever Rohit Sharma and Kohli bid adieu to that format. Among the rest, Mumbai Indians, after a lukewarm start, surged back and found a berth in the play-offs, one that also featured Gujarat Titans. If the IPL was all about RCB’s redemption song and Punjab Kings’ chutzpah, equally, it mirrored the decline of a pedigreed outfit, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which finished last. An ageing M.S. Dhoni could not stem the rot and former champion CSK will have to rebuild afresh in the coming editions. Having commenced on March 22, the IPL stretched interminably and a break caused by the Pahalgam terror attack and the resultant Operation Sindoor, forced a change in schedule. The IPL also highlighted talented players such as young Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Sai Sudharsan. As a sporting brand, the league is formidable but, as Kohli said, Tests are five levels above in quality and, hopefully, modern players will respect this reality.