No.18! Well, this proved to be the magical number finally for Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday night when the long, long wait for that IPL title has ended.
Why? It was the 18th edition of IPL, ‘18’ is the famous jersey number of arguably one of the greatest batters across all formats – Virat Kohli.
Not surprisingly, when RCB pulled off a six-run win against Punjab Kings in the 2025 final, the way Kohli, who first played for RCB at the age of 18, struggled to control his emotions was understandable. For it is also an amazing story of Kohli’s loyalty to one franchisee over the years.
For this was one trophy which Kohli should have been looking for so desperately.
Significantly, two of the finest to don the RCB jerseys – the West Indies great Chris Gayle and the South African AB de Villiers – were there to join the celebrations. And, perhaps, they made the celebrations for Kohli even more special and memorable for they have been part of the ‘incredible trio’ in RCB batting line-up which came close to winning the title a few times in the past.