New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): Star batter Virat Kohli opened up on the emotional moment when Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their 18-year wait for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title, saying the feeling of winning the trophy after years of heartbreak was far more special than it would have been in the franchise's early years.

RCB lifted their maiden IPL crown in 2025 after defeating Punjab Kings in the final, ending years of disappointment and near misses for one of the league's most followed franchises. Kohli, who has represented the Bengaluru franchise since the inaugural IPL season in 2008, was visibly emotional after the historic triumph.

Speaking on the RCB Podcast, Kohli recalled the emotions he experienced during the closing moments of the final when pacer Josh Hazlewood bowled the last over with PBKS needing 29 runs.

'I felt very thankful, and I feel grateful every day of my life, to be honest. I have nothing to complain about. But that night, especially, and I still say it's very difficult to explain to people in words how I felt in the last four balls of the last over,' Kohli said.

'When you see from the outside what has happened to the franchise, how RCB has been looked at for so many years as a big team, big franchise that's never won, you know, the almost champions, the ones that have come close but never really won the trophy. And for that pressure to build over so many years, like season after season, and there's one thing to observe it, and there's one thing to live it. And I have lived through all of those seasons,' he added.

Reflecting on why the triumph felt uniquely special, Kohli admitted the prolonged wait made the achievement even more meaningful.

'I can with absolute honesty and clarity say that it wouldn't have been five per cent of the feeling I had, had we won it in the earlier years. And the accumulation of all that stress and all that pressure. And for it to happen after 18 years, there couldn't have been a better experience for me in my cricketing journey, apart from all the other things that I've experienced playing for India as well. This was very, very special,' the batter said.

Kohli has been the face of the franchise for nearly two decades and remains the highest run-scorer in IPL history with 9,145 runs, including a record nine centuries in the tournament.

The former RCB captain reflected on his long journey with the franchise and the trust shown in him during a crucial phase of his career when he was the only retained player for Bengaluru ahead of the 2011 season.

'I started my journey with RCB very young, as everyone knows. Then I was retained at a very important juncture in my career, to be fair, with the conversation back and forth. RCB agreed to the perspective I had for my own career, for my own game, because I was also playing for India. They showed trust in me. I was the only retained player in 2011. And they kind of built the team around,' he said.

Kohli also spoke about the emotional attachment several legendary overseas players developed with the franchise, mentioning icons like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.

'Then the involvement of like AB, Chris Gayle, all the iconic players that have played for so many years, very naturally, they also started feeling all those pressures and all the expectations. And hence, the care comes from the fact that when you have kind of given so much of yourself, you know, to one team, because it's demanding so much out of you, to be honest, like the expectations have been sky high always. So when people give so much of their own being to something, there is a very genuine and natural care and an emotional connection,' Kohli stated.

He further described how the franchise and its fanbase impacted players deeply over the years.

'I felt that impact probably more than anyone over the course of 18 years, till the last year we won the trophy. And I think all those emotions, all those feelings came out in a form of just being on my knees and just holding my hands and saying, thank you, that I could experience this before I stopped playing,' he said.

RCB, the defending IPL champions, are currently enjoying another strong campaign in the 2026 season. The Bengaluru side sits at the top of the points table with eight wins from 12 matches, while Kohli has once again led from the front with 484 runs at an average of 53.78 and a strike rate of 165. (ANI)