An IPL champion already, Virat Kohli remains the soul of RCB's title defence

When Virat Kohli finally broke down on the field after Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden IPL title last year, the tears carried the weight of nearly two decades. For years, the trophy had been the missing piece in a relationship that had come to define the Indian Premier League. Kohli had scored the runs, broken the records, carried the expectations and remained fiercely loyal to a franchise that repeatedly promised much but fell short when it mattered most.

The image of Kohli in tears quickly became one of the defining moments of the 2025 IPL season because it represented far more than a title victory. It was relief. It was validation. It was the release of a burden that had followed both player and franchise for years. RCB's six-run victory over Punjab Kings finally ended the questions about whether Kohli would ever lift the IPL trophy in Bengaluru colours.

Twelve months later, Kohli returns to an IPL final under very different circumstances. The trophy that once dominated every conversation around his IPL career is already in the cabinet. RCB is no longer chasing a breakthrough moment. They are chasing a second title in as many years.

And yet, as Bengaluru prepares for another shot at history in Ahmedabad, there is something familiar about the moment. Kohli remains at the centre of it all. Not because he has unfinished business with the IPL, but because no player has come to represent a franchise quite the way he has represented RCB.

THE MAN WHO NEVER LEFT

The IPL has changed dramatically since it began in 2008. Teams have been dismantled and rebuilt, superstars have switched franchises, and entire dressing rooms have been transformed through auctions and trades. Through all that change, Kohli has remained a constant.

He is the only player in IPL history to have represented a single franchise throughout the tournament's existence. What began as a teenager's journey after leading India to the Under-19 World Cup title has evolved into one of the defining player-franchise relationships in modern sport.

Across more than 270 appearances, Kohli has experienced every emotion imaginable in RCB colours. He has celebrated playoff qualifications, endured painful eliminations and lived through seasons where expectations soared before reality intervened. He was there when RCB lost the 2009 final. He was there when the franchise assembled some of the most feared batting line-ups in T20 history. He was there for the heartbreak of 2016 when his record-breaking season ended one step short of the trophy.

Most players move on in search of fresh opportunities or greater success. Kohli never did.

That loyalty has become inseparable from his identity. To think of RCB is to think of Kohli. The growth of the franchise into one of the IPL's biggest brands has mirrored his rise into one of the most recognisable cricketers in the world.

The numbers only reinforce the story. No batter has scored more runs in IPL history. This season, Kohli became the first player to cross the 9,000-run mark, extending a lead at the top of the all-time charts that may stand untouched for years. Across changing eras, changing rules and changing demands, he has remained the benchmark for consistency.

Yet what has always made Kohli different at RCB is that his impact extends beyond the scorecard. His story has become woven into the franchise's own story, making it almost impossible to separate one from the other.

A DIFFERENT KOHLI, THE SAME INFLUENCE

At 37, Kohli is experiencing a phase of his IPL career unlike any he has known before. For much of the last decade, he walked into every season carrying multiple responsibilities. He was the captain, the franchise's biggest star, its leading batter and, more often than not, the figure expected to drive RCB's campaign. Every success and every failure seemed to come back to him.

That is no longer the case.

Rajat Patidar leads the side, while Andy Flower, Mo Bobat and Dinesh Karthik oversee the cricketing direction of the franchise. The responsibilities that once sat almost entirely on Kohli's shoulders are now shared across the dressing room. It has allowed him to focus on his own game while continuing to contribute in ways that do not always show up on a scorecard.

The intensity that has defined his career remains unchanged. He still celebrates wickets and milestones with the same passion, still demands the highest standards from himself and those around him, and still approaches every contest with the competitiveness that has made him one of the defining cricketers of his generation. Yet there also appears to be a greater sense of comfort in the role he occupies today. Having finally won the IPL title that eluded him for so long, Kohli looks like a player enjoying the game without carrying the weight of an entire franchise's expectations.

That has not diminished his standing within the group. If anything, it has allowed his experience to become even more valuable. Throughout the season, Patidar has spoken about the importance of having senior players around him as he settles into leadership.

"There is a lot of learning, especially off the field and on the field, there are a lot of helping hands. There are a lot of experienced players, from whom I'm getting a lot of good ideas. So, I'm trying to understand those ideas and apply them to the game."

The comment offers a glimpse into how this RCB side functions. Patidar may be the captain, but he is surrounded by players who have experienced the pressures of international cricket and the IPL at the highest level. Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have become important sounding boards throughout the season, offering perspective and guidance whenever required. Their influence is reflected not through public declarations but in the confidence and clarity with which this RCB side has gone about its business.

For years, Bengaluru often looked to Kohli to provide the answers whenever difficult moments arrived. This team has grown beyond that dependence. It has match-winners across departments and leaders spread throughout the dressing room. Yet Kohli remains central to its identity, not because everything revolves around him any more, but because his standards, experience and understanding of the franchise continue to shape the surrounding environment.

THE PERFECT FACE OF A TITLE DEFENCE

Kohli has responded to RCB's title-winning season with one of the most complete campaigns of his IPL career.

His approach at the top of the order has evolved again. He has attacked powerplay with greater intent, adapted to the ever-changing demands of T20 cricket and continued to find ways to stay ahead in a format that rarely allows players to stand still. Kohli's 600-plus runs at a strike rate of 164.38 are not merely a reflection of individual excellence but also of how seamlessly he has fit into RCB's plans this season.

There have been no signs of a player winding down his career. If anything, Kohli has looked energised by the challenge of helping RCB establish themselves as a team capable of sustained success.

The contrast with 2016 is impossible to ignore. That year, Kohli produced arguably the greatest individual season in IPL history, scoring 973 runs and dragging RCB to within touching distance of the title. It was a campaign built around one man's extraordinary form. When the final ended in disappointment, it reinforced just how heavily the franchise had depended on him.

This RCB side has been built differently. Match-winning performances have come from across the squad. Their bowling attack has won games on its own. Younger players have stepped into key roles without hesitation, while experienced heads have helped guide the team through pressure situations.

What that has allowed RCB to do is maximise Kohli's strengths rather than rely solely on them.

Kohli's value to this side extends beyond the runs. Few players understand the pressures of an IPL final better, and fewer still have experienced every phase of a franchise's journey the way he has with RCB. That perspective has become an asset for a dressing room attempting to achieve something the club has never managed before.

Back in 2016, Kohli stood at the centre of RCB's hopes. On Sunday night in Ahmedabad, he will stand there again. Only this time, unlike in 2016, he has an entire franchise that knows what winning looks like. A dressing room that feeds off one another rather than one individual. The trophy that once seemed destined to define his IPL legacy is already in the cabinet. Yet as RCB move within touching distance of another crown, Kohli remains the one figure who connects every era of the franchise's journey. From promise to heartbreak, from expectation to fulfilment, nobody has lived the RCB story quite like him.

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