Virat Kohli ended his 18-year-long IPL trophy drought on June 3, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 runs in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 in Ahmedabad.
The Indian stalwart has been with the Bengaluru-based franchise since the inception of the IPL in 2008 and has been a consistent performer. However, the veteran had to endure a number of heartbreaks -- losing three finals in 2008, 2011 and 2016 -- before finally tasting success this season.
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Following RCB's win, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag drew parallels of Kohli to Sachin Tendulkar's 22-year-long wait for a World Cup trophy.
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What did Virender Sehwag say about Virat Kohli?
After RCB's triumph over Punjab Kings in the final of IPL 2025, Virender Sehwag compared Tendulkar's dry spell of major ICC trophies, saying it was even longer than Kohli's, before finally lifting the most coveted trophy in world cricket in 2011.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag said:
"His (Kohli) wait to win the trophy for only 12 years. Sachin Tendulkar waited from 1989 till 2011. So, Kohli's wait for lesser, and still even Sachin never lost hope. He had made up his mind, he would only bow out with a World Cup trophy in his hand."
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He further added that Kohli can finally be relieved and claimed that the veteran can decide to call it a day in the Indian T20 league whenever he wants to, now that he has won a trophy that had eluded him for 17 seasons.
"It's the same for Virat Kohli. Now, he can be relieved. He can happily stop playing IPL whenever he wants to make that decision. A player plays to win the trophy. Money comes and goes, but winning trophies isn't easy. And even as Kohli's wait ended, he has still made a very strong contribution in their campaign."
Kohli ended the campaign strongly with 675 runs in 15 matches, striking at a rate of 144.71. He averaged around 54 and had eight half-centuries under his belt. He was also the highest scorer for RCB in the final, as he managed a 35-ball 43, which helped his team post a fightable target of 191.