Ee Sala Cup Namdu! AB de Villiers joins crowd in Ahmedabad as Virat Kohli's RCB lift their first-ever IPL trophy after 17 years

The 18th season for Jersey No. 18 has finally come true! After a 17-year-long wait, Virat Kohli has finally laid his hands on the one trophy that always seemed just out of reach. In 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar made millions of dreams come true as RCB defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

There were tears in everyone's eyes at the venue as former RCB stars AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle joined the crowd to witness their beloved team lift the trophy at last. AB de Villiers was even seen getting emotional. Now, fans can proudly say, "Ee Sala Cup Namdu!"

Ab de villiers and Virat Kohli are celebrating together ?????? pic.twitter.com/kHJpIq3z0S

¡ª Kevin (@imkevin149) June 3, 2025

1st IPL trophy under new captain Rajat Patidar

RCB became IPL champions for the first time, and it took 18 long years to achieve this historic feat. Under their new captain Rajat Patidar, RCB played some outstanding cricket ¡ª finishing second on the points table, winning Qualifier 1 against PBKS, and defeating the Punjab franchise once again in the final.

Interestingly, after posting just 190 runs, many fans were skeptical. But as the saying goes, Josh Hazlewood has never lost a final ¡ª and RCB¡¯s bowling unit stepped up. Krunal Pandya was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 wickets while conceding just 17 runs.

Fans congratulate RCB

Many took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to cheer for RCB and share emotional moments, with some mentioning how they saw grown men cry. One said, "18 years of hope, heartbreak & hustle ¡ª the dream is finally real!"

18 years of hope, heartbreak & hustle ¡ª the dream is finally real! ??

Congratulations RCB! Champions at last! ?? pic.twitter.com/K3TvxhLB5u

¡ª Manni (@ThadhaniManish_) June 3, 2025

Another said, "THE WAIT IS OVER . "Ee sala cup namde!¡± At last!"

THE WAIT IS OVER . ¡°Ee sala cup namde!¡± At last! ??
We¡¯ve been waiting for this day for 18 years.
A big, big congratulations to RCB! ?? pic.twitter.com/2khiWPLWKV

¡ª Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) June 3, 2025

One wrote, "Kohli searched for Abd ..they ran together and hugged like kids".

Kohli searched for Abd ..they ran together and hugged like kids ?????????#RCBvsPBKS Congratulations Rcb pic.twitter.com/UbE4PXF6aB

¡ª ?????? (@jija001_) June 3, 2025

Another added, "I can't stop crying...Congratulations RCB RCB."

I can't stop crying ?

Congratulations RCB RCB ?? pic.twitter.com/sTOUKcTriH

¡ª Sonusays (@IamSonu____) June 3, 2025

RCB vs PBKS: Teams

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood
Impact Subs: Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh, Suyash Sharma.

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlet, Harpreet Brar