Sachin Tendulkar salutes Virat Kohli's RCB legacy with 'fitting jersey no. 18 lifts trophy in 18th edition' post

Sachin Tendulkar salutes Virat Kohli's RCB legacy with 'fitting jersey no. 18 lifts trophy in 18th edition' post (BCCI Photo)

Even though it was a memorable moment for RCB's legendary number 18, Virat Kohli, the sport's finest number 10 also took note of the moment when Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their first Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy after eighteen years of misery, rebuilds, and unwavering fan love. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar summarized the victory shortly after RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in a thrilling match at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

“Congratulations to @RCBTweets on their first-ever IPL title. Fitting that jersey no. 18 lifts the trophy in the 18th edition. Well played and well deserved! Well played to @PunjabKingsIPL as well for a well-fought season,” Tendulkar posted on X.

Congratulations to @RCBTweets on their first-ever IPL title. Fitting that jersey no. 18 lifts the trophy in the 18th edition.Well played and well deserved!Well played to @PunjabKingsIPL as well for a well-fought season.
Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 3, 2025

The player Tendulkar was referring to was Virat Kohli, who wears the number 18 shirt. During the tournament's 18th edition, the batter was instrumental in bringing the team's most anticipated award to fruition. He amassed 657 runs in 15 games, making him the team's top scorer in the 2025 edition of the tournament.

After losing three finals in 2009, 2011, and 2016, the drought had become a defining story for the franchise. After joining RCB in 2008, Kohli was clearly emotional when the final ball was bowled. “I've given my youth, my prime, and my experience to this team. I gave it everything I have — I never thought this day would come. I was overcome with emotion as soon as the last ball was bowled,” Kohli said, speaking from the heart after the win.

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The proceedings saw RCB being asked to bat first, following which they piled a stiff 190/9, with Kohli leading the way with 43 from 35 balls. Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone made crucial cameos to keep the runs coming, but Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson split six wickets to keep Punjab in the match.

Although Punjab's chase got off to a good start, Krunal Pandya's game-changing spell (2/17) put pressure on them. Despite Shashank Singh's scorching unbeaten 61 off 30 balls, Punjab's momentum was broken by wickets at regular intervals, notably Josh Inglis (39) and Shreyas Iyer (1). Punjab finished just short at 184/7.

As the third-highest run scorer overall at the end of the season, Kohli finally received the trophy that had eluded him for so long. In a befitting homage, he also asked his former RCB teammates Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, to share the trophy on the podium.