After finally lifting the IPL trophy, Virat Kohli and his team returned to Bengaluru and the scenes at M Chinnaswamy Stadium were simply electric.
Fans had waited 18 long years to celebrate this moment with him, and when he finally took the mic at RCB’s felicitation ceremony, the stadium shook with noise and emotion.
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The celebration was held at the RCB's home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, on Wednesday, where thousands of RCB fans gathered to honour their team’s historic win.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) organised the event, and the stadium was packed with people in red, chanting RCB and Kohli non-stop.
The moment Kohli stood up to speak, the crowd only got louder. He tried a few times to start his speech but fans kept chanting. It was only after the host spoke in Kannada and calmed them slightly that Kohli was able to get a few words in.
What did Virat Kohli say to the Bengaluru crowd?
Kohli began his message with a nod to RCB’s famous slogan, "I'm going to start off by repeating what our captain said: it's no longer Ee Sala Cup Namde, it's Ee Sala Cup Namdu,"
IPL 2025 marked the end of years of heartbreak for RCB fans. Kohli said the title win wasn’t just for the team but for the entire city of Bengaluru and for the fans. He said that he had never seen a fanbase like RCB’s anywhere in the world.
"This is for all of you - the fans, the people of this city, everyone who has stood by RCB through thick and thin. I've never witnessed a fanbase like this anywhere in the world,"
He also praised captain Rajat Patidar, asking the crowd to cheer loudly for the man who led RCB to its first title.