Royal Challengers Bengaluru legends Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle celebrated with joy and emotion after the team’s historic Indian Premier League title win on Tuesday night. RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, ending an 18-year wait for their maiden trophy. The iconic trio joined the host broadcaster after the match and chanted the popular slogan “Ee Sala Cup Namdu,” meaning “This time, the cup is ours.” The celebration touched fans who had waited many years for this moment.
Speaking to Star Sports after the victory, Kohli shared his emotions about reuniting with his former teammates. He said, “I’ve shared my prime years with them and I know how much we were trying to win this. We felt we were so close a couple of times. We had a good team and explosiveness but never crossed the line.”
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Kohli added, “All of us have that hurt because we gave our prime years to this franchise. From the bottom of our hearts, we wanted to win that title for RCB.”
He praised the connection the trio shares with fans. “It feels 10 times more special because these two are standing next to me. When they came to Bangalore, people showed them so much love. They have given their heart and soul for the team and they deserve this as much as I do.”
Kohli was the only active player in the final. De Villiers and Gayle, former RCB stars, were inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame in 2022. De Villiers played for the franchise from 2011 to 2021 while Gayle represented RCB from 2011 to 2017. Both last featured in an IPL final in 2016 against SunRisers Hyderabad.
