Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bengaluru Win Indian Premier League Cricket Title

The legend and his team won the world's wealthiest cricket league for the first time.

Virat Kohli tosses a ball during an IPL match earlier this season. / Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images

In the twilight of his career, Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli has finally won one of his sport's biggest prizes.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru—Kohli's longtime home in franchise cricket—defeated Punjab Kings by six runs Tuesday to claim the Indian Premier League title. The franchise had never won the honor since the Twenty20 league's 2008 institution.

Kohli tallied 43 runs before being caught and bowled, finishing the match as Royal Challengers Bengaluru's leading scorer. Countryman Krunal Pandya was named player of the match after taking a pair of wickets for 17 runs in four overs.

The tournament—India's most popular domestic sporting competition, and one of the most closely followed sports leagues in the world—consists of a 14-match regular season followed by a four-team playoff. It uses the Twenty20 format, a shortform version of the game comparable in length to baseball. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished fourth in the 10-team circuit in 2024.

Kohli, 36, made headlines last month when he announced his retirement from international Test cricket.

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