Kohli fulfils dream with title-winning stroke as Bengaluru retain IPL title

31 May 2026, 21:17 · CNA · Join

Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Final - Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India - May 31, 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli and teammates celebrate winning the Indian Premier League REUTERS/Amit Dave

Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Final - Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India - May 31, 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli celebrates reaching his half century REUTERS/Amit Dave

Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Final - Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India - May 31, 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Indian Premier League REUTERS/Amit Dave

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AHMEDABAD, May 31 : Virat Kohli fulfilled a long-held dream after he lofted the ball for a six to seal a memorable victory as Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained their Indian Premier League title on Sunday.

Kohli cut a composed figure after Bengaluru's five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, a contrast to the teary, raw emotion he showed when the team ended a 17-season title drought last year.

The 37-year-old smashed an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, sealing the chase with a six as the crowd roared his name.

"I've thought of this moment many times… to be standing there hitting the winning runs. It's a dream day for us," Kohli said.

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Kohli, who has been with the franchise since the inaugural 2008 season and led them for nine years, said winning successive titles carried added significance to the team's entire journey where they lost in three finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

The India batter, who now features only in one-day internationals, also underlined his continued evolution in Twenty20 cricket.

He finished as Bengaluru's leading scorer this season with 675 runs and recorded his fastest IPL fifty, taking his overall tally to 68 half-centuries and nine hundreds.

"I just take a lot of pride in getting better and just trying to figure out areas where I can improve," he said.

Kohli, who has scored 9,336 runs in the league - the most in IPL history - said adapting to the demands of modern T20 cricket, driven by a new generation of aggressive batters, had been key to sustaining success.

Kohli fulfils dream with title-winning stroke as Bengaluru retain IPL title

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