Virat Kohli was overcome with emotion as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their maiden Indian Premier League title, defeating Punjab Kings in the grand finals on Tuesday, June 3. After winning a narrow six-run victory, Kohli sought out his buddy and ex-RCB teammate AB de Villiers, wishing to share an emotional hug with the South African international, who retired as one of the franchise’s most legendary figures.

As the players and match officials rushed the boundary lines following the victory, de Villiers was difficult to spot for Kohli, who was looking for his friend who was present at the stadium for the momentous occasion.

When Virat Kohli saw the former wicketkeeper-batter, he raced up to him and hugged him.

Kohli searched for Abd ..they ran together and hugged like kids #RCBvsPBKS #CongratulationsRCB #Rcb #RCBvsPBKS #ViratKohli #ABdeVilliers #IPL2025 #IPLFinals pic.twitter.com/Ztpt3IjLtm

— Newsbooks (@Newsbooks191172) June 3, 2025

Kohli, who had tears in his eyes as the victory approached, had all of his teammates centred on him as they recognised how much it meant to him and the franchise, which has enjoyed an 18-season partnership since the beginning of the flagship event. Fans had been chanting the Ee Saala Cup Namde (This year, the cup will be ours) chants for years, which eventually evolved to Ee Saala Cup Namdu (This year, we have the cup), creating a moment of delight and celebration within the fan community.

In terms of Kohli’s 2025, he was as always great with the bat, amassing a phenomenal 657 runs from 15 games at 54.75, which proved important in RCB’s journey to the final. He also finished the competition as the greatest run-scorer for RCB in the final, with 43 off 35 balls setting the tone for the team in the first innings, when they posted a total of 190 despite losing nine wickets.