Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended their wait for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title in the recently concluded season with a win over the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
On their way to the final, RCB won 9 of their 14 league matches to finish at the number 2 behind PBKS, whom they defeated in Qualifier 1 as well.
Playing their third IPL final, the Royal Challengers added 190 to the scoreboard in Ahmedabad — Virat Kohli top-scored with 43(35), while captain Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone played cameos of 26 (16) and 25(15) respectively.
They went on to defend the score and won the final by 6 runs, thanks to 2/17 from Krunal Pandya to lift their first title.
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Former RCB and New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder has reacted to their first title with delight and congratulated Kohli for finally getting his hands on the trophy.
Jesse Ryder congratulates Kohli on his maiden IPL title:
Speaking to ANI about the IPL season gone by, the former left-handed batter expressed his excitement to see his former team win the trophy.
The Kiwi opener had played 5 matches for the Bengaluru-based franchise in 2009 and scored 56 runs in his stint.
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He specifically spoke about Kohli getting emotional during the final after the last ball of the 20th over was bowled by Josh Hazlewood, as he wished him on the win.
"I was super excited for them, you know. Congrats to the RCB boys for that," said Jesse Ryder.
"Yeah, obviously, we all saw how emotional he was about the win. Obviously, it meant a lot to him, so congrats to him for finally getting a win," added the former New Zealand batter.
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In IPL 2025, Kohli scored 657 runs at the top of the order at an average of 54.75 and strike rate of 144.71, with 8 fifties to his name.
Ryder is notably currently in India to play the Legen-Z T10 league, where he is playing for the Mumbai Stars alongside the likes of Irfan Pathan and Rishi Dhawan.