New Delhi: Virat Kohli Proving yet again why he is cricket’s greatest match-winner, he scored an unbeaten 75 as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets. IPL Final in Ahmedabad Chasing 156, Kohli led the team home and ended the season with 675 runs. The head coach Andy Flower A tribute video praised the veteran batsman, saying, “Virat, I know you get a lot of attention and rightly so. But I don’t want to diminish it, because you are the heartbeat of this dressing room.”Kohli gave RCB a strong start with a 62-run opening partnership with Venkatesh Iyer and later took control of the chase. He attacked fast bowler Kagiso Rabada early, hitting two fours and a six to put Gujarat under pressure. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar praised Kohli’s ability to shine in big matches, saying, “He relishes situations, he waits for situations where he can show what a good player he is. What’s his temperament, what’s his mentality to win.”RCB’s success this season continued the momentum of their maiden IPL title last year. The team topped the league table and comfortably reached the finals. Kohli’s popularity was gauged when most of the crowd wore his iconic number 18 jersey. Speaking after being named player of the match, Kohli said, “I always say we don’t have seven home games, we probably have 14.” “I mean, GT might be the home side, but you see 90 per cent of the people are RCB fans. Their support is invaluable,” he added.Despite winning the title, RCB decided against holding a public homecoming ceremony. Last year’s victory parade ended in tragedy when a mob crushed outside the MK. 11 lives lost at Chinnaswamy Stadium. Remembering those fans, captain Rajat Patidar said, “Obviously, you feel bad — you’ve lost your fans after winning the game. Not just fans, they’re family members. I always want to dedicate this trophy to them. I don’t have words to describe that feeling.”
