'For all the years of heartbreaks and disappointment': Kohli's emotional post after winning maiden IPL title melts down internet

Virat Kohli finally managed to get his hands on IPL trophy after 18 long years as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2025 season final on Tuesday (June 3). RCB had posted a below par 190 but PBKS fumbled in the chase during the middle over and lost the title showdown by just six runs.

Kohli was emotionally visible after the win and fought back welling up at the occasion which eluded him for nearly two decades. Reacting to the win, Kohli posted an emotional tribute on Instagram and here's what he wrote:.

Also Read - IPL 2025: Virat Kohli reflects after lifting maiden title as RCB beat Punjab Kings by six runs in final

"This team made the dream possible , a season I’ll never ever forget. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ride over the last 2.5 months. This one is for the fans of RCB who never ever left our side in the worst of times. This one is for all the years of heartbreaks and disappointment. This is for every inch of effort left on the field playing for this team. As far as the ipl trophy is concerned- you’ve made me wait 18 years to be able to lift you and celebrate my friend, but it’s been absolutely worth the wait."

Kohli is the only person to have played for the same franchise since the inception of the league in 2008 but hadn't won it before June 3.

The batter, who is no longer the skipper of the side, did play his part with the bat and ended up as RCB's highest scorer of the season including the final. Kohli's 657 runs are the third most in IPL 2025 behind MI's Suryakumar Yadav (717) and GT's Sai Sudharsan (759). In the final, Kohli top scored with 43 for Bengaluru.

This was RCB's fourth IPL final and first in nine years. As for Punjab, they have only been in the final twice including this one and have lost on both occasions.