IPL 2025 final: RCB and Kohli’s 18-year wait meets Punjab’s fire as league awaits a new champion

Eighteen seasons. No title. For Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the wait has been long, emotional, and often cruel. On Tuesday night, they get another shot at redemption, this time against a determined Punjab Kings side led by Shreyas Iyer, in what will be a historic IPL final where a first-time champion is guaranteed.

The grand finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium won’t just be about who lifts the trophy, it could also be Kohli’s final outing for a while. Having stepped away from Test cricket and with India’s next white-ball assignment months away, fans are expected to flood the stands in their No.18 jerseys, hoping to see their hero finish the season with silverware.

RCB have reached the final thrice before, in 2009, 2011 and 2016, only to fall short. But this season, they've looked like a team with purpose. From a dominant league stage to a ruthless eight-wicket win over Punjab in Qualifier 1, they’ve finally found the balance that eluded them for years.


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Kohli, as ever, has led with the bat, scoring 614 runs so far, but the support cast has made all the difference. Phil Salt’s explosive starts, Rajat Patidar’s consistency, and the contributions of Mayank Agarwal and Jitesh Sharma have given RCB the depth they previously lacked. Whether Tim David returns to bolster the finishing alongside Romario Shepherd remains to be seen.

Josh Hazlewood has anchored the bowling attack with typical calm, picking up 21 wickets and emerging as the tournament’s fourth-highest wicket-taker. He’ll be key again on a surface that’s offered some assistance to the pacers under lights.

Punjab Kings, meanwhile, have staged one of the most remarkable turnarounds in IPL history. Perennial underachievers, they’ve come alive this season under Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting, finishing second in the league and booking a place in their first final in 11 years.

After being thrashed by RCB in the first qualifier, they responded in style, knocking out five-time champions Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 with a clinical performance.

Iyer, who has now taken Delhi, Kolkata, and Punjab to IPL finals, has amassed 603 runs and proved once again why he’s one of the most effective leaders in T20 cricket.

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Youngsters like Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Priyansh Arya and Shashank Singh have delivered in key moments, while the bowling unit, despite missing Marcus Jansenn, found ways to strangle Mumbai on a batting-friendly pitch.

Yuzvendra Chahal, not fully fit, will be under the scanner as he takes on his former side. But Punjab will bank on collective grit over individual brilliance.

With no rain in the forecast and a reserve day and extra time in place, the stage is set for a full contest. One team will finally shed the ‘never-won-it’ tag. For Kohli and Iyer, it’s not just about history, it’s personal.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee, Yash Dayal.

Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Josh Inglis (wk), Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Harpreet Brar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett, Pravin Dubey, Kyle Jamieson.

Match begins at 7:30 PM IST.

With inputs from PTI