RCB Secures Back-to-Back IPL Titles as Virat Kohli Dominates the Final
“I think it will be SRH.” When Delhi captain Axar was asked (After Delhi had lost hope of making it to qualifier) which team is likely to emerge as champion to take the Tata IPL trophy, he said Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) appears to be leading with four talented batsmen with vigor. If they click no other team can stand before SRH. They are Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan and opener Travis Head. Even when Sharma failed, the rest of the three batsmen batted well and won the matches. In the eliminator, unfortunately for SRH, all the four had failed. Added to their failure, the child prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the rival camp, Rajasthan Royals RR), played a superb innings making 97 runs. Vaibhav’s was a decisive innings and the RR won beating SRH. But it failed in the second qualifier to win giving Gujarat the opportunity to meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Ahmedabad on Sunday night. The final was dominated by ace batsman and icon of Indian cricket Virat Kohli who hit a huge six in style when one run was enough to win the championship for the second successive year. The captain of Bengaluru team Rajat Patidar of Madhya Pradesh continued to be lucky for the second year in a row.
The Road to the Finals: Playoff Drama
Virat Kohli waited for 18 years for an IPL title for RCB. He got the first title last year and the second this year. When they got the first IPL trophy, Director of Cricket Mo Bobat told him, “This is not the end of the journey and we have to go back-to-back. At the start of the chase, I told Venky (Venkatesh Iyer) that we need to kill the game in the powerplay. There was total clarity.” Kohli said the current group of RCB players have the balance as well as the strength. All the batsmen chipped in as well. I feel so happy to play in a group where we have balance, we have strength, and we are an all-round strong team and that is why we have the confidence we have on the field right now. That is the reason why we topped the table this year. We just said one thing, ‘if we stick to our cricket, if we execute our plans, we are the best team in the competition.”
Kohli: The Eternal Student of the Game
Kohli’s unbeaten 75 was the cornerstone of RCB’s second IPL title. “(It is the) stuff you dream of. (I) thought of this moment many times, wanting to hit the winning run,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Later there was an indirect mention of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and how he pushed him to alter his game over the course of this season. When a reporter broached subject of his 25-ball half-century, Kohli said he is eternally a student of the game. “Such is the demand (that) super young players (are) pushing you to up the ante,” said Kohli seriously. He had to change his mindset, if not the way he played the game, at 37. This is possible only for an eternal student. The veteran batsman has hit nine fours and three sixes. While Venkatesh Iyer gave a rousing start making 32 even though he was limping, Tim David also played well to contribute 24.
Leadership and Celebrations
The team that Kohli was talking about was assembled in 2024 when Rajat Patidar was made captain. When the captaincy offer was made to Patidar, he was very reluctant since he never led a team. First, he led Madhya Pradesh cricket team in state level matches and only then accepted the offer made by RCB management. Patidar is a calm and steady person outside the field but very active on the field. He proved his worth as a batsman in the just concluded IPL series.
Kohli was joined by his adoring wife Anushka. They danced together and also with other players in the team to celebrate the second title in two years. Kohli was wearing a T-shirt that reads, “One felt nice, we did it twice.” Anushka shared with fans a picture of her and Kohli in which she is seen planting a sweet kiss on his forehead.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also travelled to Ahemdabad and he was called and felicitated at the end of final for scoring the highest runs in this year IPL. He amassed 776 runs in 16 matches. The Bihar-born youngster played a pivotal role in Rajasthan Royal’s campaign as they progressed to Qualifier 2 before falling short of a place in the final. When Gujarat Titans won against RR even after Vaibhav made 96 runs (Gujarat captain Gill scored as century) the young lad was seen crestfallen. With his fearless approach and clean hitting, Vaibhav has also become an inspiration for many aspiring cricketers. Vaibhav’s selection to the Indian team is a foregone conclusion.
In Ahmedabad, it was Virat Kohli who opened the innings with Venkatesh and stayed at the crease till the very end, remaining unbeaten on 75 as RCB secured the second title. Chasing a modest total of 156 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, the veteran batter scored the last run through six before beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets. RCB got Rs 20 crore prize money whereas the runners-up Gujarat Titans got Rs.12.5 crore.
Prominent Journalist
Dr. K. Ramachandra Murthy is a versatile journalist with a distinguished career. Dr. Murthy began his extensive career with Andhra Prabha of The Indian Express group in Bengaluru. He was editor of Udayam, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothy. Dr. Murthy founded and edited HMTV news channel and The Hans India, an English newspaper. He was also editorial director of the Telugu newspaper, Saakshi. He was awarded Ph. D for his research work in rural reporting. Dr. Murthy’s five decades in journalism showcases his influential roles across both print and electronic media. He wrote the political biography of NTR published by Harper Collins.
