Ee Sala Cup Namde — at last! The inside story of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic 2025 IPL title

Ee Sala Cup Namde — at last!

The inside story of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic 2025 IPL title

A City on tenterhooks

On the evening of June3, 2025 every television, smartphone screen and roadside projector in Bengaluru synchronized its heartbeat to a single rhythm: the IPL final at Ahmedabad's cavernous Narendra Modi Stadium. When the final delivery skid past the bat of Punjab's last hope, murmurs of disbelief erupted into a roar, and that roar dissolved into tears. For 18 seasons - from Brendon McCullum's whirlwind debut in 2008 through three agonsing runner-up finishes (2009, 2011 and 2016) - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) carried the heaviest burden in Indian cricket: the best team never to clinch the crown. At 10:47pm IST, that burden evaporated. Confetti rained, fireworks ignited the night sky, and the primal cry "Ee Sala Cup Namde!" - "This year, the cup is ours" - finally reverberated as truth, not wishful thinking.

The eighteen-year odyssey

RCB's inception coincided with the birth of the IPL itself. From Day 1 they dazzled: Vijay Mallya bankrolling blockbuster signings, Anil Kumble's cerebral leg-spinning, Chris Gayle's destructive 175*, AB de Villiers' 360-degree artistry, and, emerging from it all, Virat Kohli - a fresh-faced teenager who would grow into a modern icon. Yet the script never delivered its final act. Three finals lost and multiple eliminations on Net Run Rate later, a painful narrative had taken shape. The flashpoint arrived in 2016: RCB chased 223 in the final, only to crumple under Ben Cutting's death-over heroics. That night, a young engineer in Whitefield vowed to name his future son "Hope." A decade later, "Hope" was obsolete - belief had become resilience.

Year after year, tickets vanished within minutes; jerseys flew off shelves; every "R-C-B!" chant in Chinnaswamy stadium grew louder, daring fate to blink first. yet heartbreak became cultural shorthand: startups in Electronic City emblazoned "Almost there" on their mugs; karaoke bars in Koramangala unfurled "Ee Sala Cup Namde: banners almost as early as the auction. Fans entered college, graduated, found jobs, married - still waiting. The drought fused franchise and city into an unbreakable bond. Even in exile - when the team played matches in navi Mumbai or Dharamsala - RCB's caravan carried an army of scarlet-clad pilgrims. They believed that if enough faith was summoned, history would blink.

2025: RCB vs PBKS Final - 1st Innings

Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and, as most captains have at dewy Ahmedabad nights, chose to chase. RCB's start was brisk without being maniac: Phil Salt's pick-up over fine leg and Mayank Agarwal's extra-cover drill gave them 55 in the powerplay. The surface, two-paced and tacky, punished indiscretion. When Patidar sliced Jamieson to point at 96-3, the innings threatened drift.

Then came Kohli's rope-burning wrist-work. His 43 was neither chanceless nor flamboyant, yet every hard single mattered. At 131-4 in 15 overs, the finisher brigade clicked: Jitesh Sharma's audacious lap over short fine, Livingstone's baseball swipe off Vyshak, and Romario Shephard's late cameo - 17 off nine - lifted RCB to 190. History will highlight Kohli, but analytics say the 47 runs plundered between overs 16-18 turned a par score into a defendable one. Arshdeep and Jamieson still claimed six wickets; they just lacked friends at the death.

Krunal's spell of a lifetime

RCB's attach, on paper, looked one seamer short. The was Krunal Pandya, bowling orthodox left-arm spin inside the Powerplay against 2 right handers. Ball one drifted, gripped and sneaked under Priyansh Arya's slop sweep; ball six lured Prabhsimran Singh to hole out. Krunal's final figures - 4-0-17-2, 12 dot balls - won him Player of the Match and, arguably, the championship.

The Chase, the choke, and the chaos

In a thrilling conclusion to the IPL 2025 season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched their maiden Indian Premier League title, defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in a nail-biting final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This victory marked the end of an 18-year wait for RCB, a team that had previously reached the finals in 2009, 2011, and 2016 but fell short each.

Match Summary:

• RCB Innings: Batting first, RCB posted a total of 190/9 in their 20 overs. Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a steady 43 runs off 35 balls, providing the backbone for the team's total.

• PBKS Innings: In response, Punjab Kings managed 184/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Shashank Singh stood out with an unbeaten 61 off 30 balls, but his efforts weren't enough to take PBKS over the line.

Key Performances:

• Krunal Pandya (RCB): Delivered a match-winning spell, taking 2 wickets for just 17 runs in his 4 overs. His economical bowling in the middle overs was pivotal in restricting PBKS's chase.

• Shashank Singh (PBKS): Fought valiantly with a quickfire 61*, keeping PBKS in the hunt till the very end.

The victory was particularly emotional for Virat Kohli, who has been with RCB since the inception of the IPL in 2008. Having led the team through numerous highs and lows, Kohli was seen in tears, embracing teammates and celebrating the long-awaited triumph. He dedicated the win to former teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, acknowledging their contributions to the team's journey over the years.

The win sparked massive celebrations in Bengaluru, with fans flooding the streets to rejoice in the team's success. The victory not only ended RCB's title drought but also solidified their place in IPL history as champions. RCB's triumph in the IPL 2025 final is a testament to perseverance, team spirit, and the unwavering support of their fans. After years of near misses, the team finally lifted the coveted trophy, marking a new chapter in their storied history

Tributes and the Words that broke the Drought

"I never thought this day would come... tonight I'm going to sleep like a baby." - Virat Kohli on live television, minutes after the last ball.

Still kneeling in the Ahmedabad outfield, trophy pressed to his chest, Kohli tried to explain 18 seasons of pent-up emotion:

"I've given this team my youth, my prime, my experience. I stayed loyal when it would've been easier to leave. This one is for every fan who stayed too."

Those back-to-back confessions - half disbelief, half vindication - captured the night better than any statistic. The man who defined RCB's nearly men era had finally rewritten the ending, and social media detonated: 5 million likes on his Instagram post inside an hour, the fastest every for an Indian sportsperson.

Former team mates were the first to dial in. AB de Villiers, pitch side with the broadcast team, sprinted across the square and lifted clean off the ground; Chris Gayle beamed in on a giant screen from Kingston, rum in hand, shouting the old war cry "Ee Sala Cup Namde!". Kohli waved them closer: "This is as much as ours."

Epilogue - A City that Finally Sleeps in Peace

Eighteen IPL summers taught RCB fans unshakeable patience; season 18 rewarded that faith. Ask any Bangalorean where they were when Hazelwood speared that final yorker and you'll trigger a lifetime story. From now on "Ee Sala Cup Namdu" rings as confirmed history, not fragile hope, and a city awash in red can - at last - sleep like a baby. :)