IPL 2025 Champions: RCB

Eighteen years of holding on to the dream — Ee Sala Cup Namde — finally bore fruit. After 17 seasons of heartbreak, including three painful losses in the final (2009, 2011 & 2016), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have finally clinched their maiden IPL title in 2025.

Their long-awaited triumph came in their fourth final, edging out fellow title-hunters Punjab Kings (PBKS), who themselves had a fairytale IPL 2025 campaign. Though PBKS fell short this time, their spirited run suggests their moment in the sun isn’t far off.

Virat Kohli with his maiden IPL trophy - 2025 — Virat Kohli with his maiden IPL trophy (PC: Getty Images)

In a testament to how far T20 cricket has evolved, a scoreline of 190 vs 184 unfolded as a battle dominated by bowlers. After being put in to bat, RCB were well-contained by PBKS, but the Bengaluru bowlers responded with even greater precision and nerve. Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal—each a former IPL winner with other franchises—stepped up with skill and experience on a tricky Ahmedabad surface.

Krunal Pandya’s 4-0-17-2 changed the tide of the match (PC: Getty Images)

The final margin was a mere six runs, reflecting how evenly matched the two sides were throughout the season. But it doesn’t tell the full story. Shashank Singh lit up the final moments with a blazing unbeaten 61 off 30 balls, including a late flourish of 6, 4, 6, 6 against Josh Hazlewood. However, needing 29 off the last over, the late fireworks came too late—Hazlewood had already delivered two clutch dot balls to seal the deal for RCB.

At long last, RCB are IPL champions.

Toss: PBKS elect to bowl
Venue: Ahmedabad

MATCH SUMMARY:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 190-9 (20 overs)
Virat Kohli 43 (35) – 3 Fours
Mayank Agarwal 24 (18) – 2 fours & 1 six
Rajat Patidar 26 (16) – 1 four & 2 sixes
Liam Livingstone 25 (15) – 2 Sixes
Jitesh Sharma 24 (10) – 2 fours & 2 sixes
Romario Shepherd 17 (9) – 1 four & 1 six

Arshdeep Singh 4-0-40-3
Kyle Jamieson 4-0-48-3

Punjab Kings: 184/7 (20 overs) | Target: 191
Josh Inglis 39 (23) – 1 four & 4 sixes
Shashank Singh 61*(30) – 3 fours & 6 sixes

Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-0-38-2
Yash Dayal 3-0-18-1
Krunal Pandya 4-0-17-2
Romario Shepherd 3-0-30-1

Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya