Virat Kohli receives orders to announce IPL retirement after trophy win and stampede

After years of heartbreak, Virat Kohli has finally lived the moment he and millions of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans had been waiting for in IPL. The emotional triumph in the IPL 2025 final wasn’t just a win for RCB and Virat Kohli, but it was a legacy-defining moment.

It was a perfect tribute to Kohli, who has carried Royal Challengers Bengaluru on his shoulders since the inception of the tournament. RCB’s thrilling six-run win over Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad brought tears, joy, and a long-awaited end to Kohli’s painful title drought.

Virat Kohli’s wait for IPL glory over in fairytale fashion

Notably, Kohli had an outstanding IPL 2025 season, where he was the top run-scorer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the third-highest run-getter in the tournament.

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Kohli amassed 657 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 144.71 and an impressive average of 54.75. His consistent performances played a major role in RCB’s historic title win this season.

The former captain stood by the Bengaluru-based franchise through thick and thin since 2008. He even faced three gut-wrenching final losses in 2009, 2011, and 2016. But this time, that elusive IPL title is finally in the Indian batting icon’s hands.

Virat Kohli can happily stop playing IPL: Virender Sehwag

The dashing right-handed batter played a key role in RCB’s maiden IPL title triumph. With this historic win, the former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag believes that Kohli has completed his IPL mission, and that has finally lifted the weight off his shoulders.

Since his 17-year-long wait is over, Sehwag said that the RCB icon has earned the right to call time on his IPL career if he so wishes. He emphasized that not just runs or records, but trophies define a player’s journey, and now Kohli has all the titles in his cabinet.

Virender Sehwag was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz, “It's the same for Virat Kohli. Now, he can be relieved. He can happily stop playing IPL whenever he wants to make that decision. A player plays to win the trophy. Money comes and goes, but winning trophies isn't easy. And even as Kohli's wait ended, he has still made a very strong contribution to their campaign.”

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Virender Sehwag compares Virat Kohli’s IPL triumph to Sachin Tendulkar’s World Cup glory

Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag said that Virat Kohli’s wait for an IPL trophy was just like Sachin Tendulkar’s wait for the World Cup. The former Indian opener mentioned that Tendulkar started playing for India in 1989, but he had to wait over 21 years to finally win the World Cup in 2011.

Similarly, Kohli had been playing in the IPL since 2008 but didn’t win the title until 2025. Sehwag felt that both Tendulkar and Kohli worked hard for many years and never gave up, and in the end, they got the rewards they truly deserved.

Sehwag signed off by saying, “His (Kohli's) wait to win the trophy is only 18 years. Sachin Tendulkar waited from 1989 to 2011. So, Kohli's wait was shorter, and even Sachin never lost hope. He had made up his mind; he would only bow out with a World Cup trophy in his hand.”