Kohli's title celebration made Preity's Punjab cry

The 17-year wait is over. Finally, in the 18th season of the IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) tasted the title for the first time. Despite building a star-studded team in one season after another, disappointment was the companion of this franchise. But this time it is not a story of broken dreams - Kohli's team made history by defeating Preity Zinta-owned Punjab Kings by 6 runs in a thrilling final in Ahmedabad.

This match was written for Kohli. Before the final, captain Rajat Patidar clearly said - "We want to win the title for Kohli." On Tuesday, the gallery in Ahmedabad turned into a piece of Bengaluru. The entire ground was filled with the sound of "Kohli Kohli". When Kohli stood with the trophy at the end of the match, tears welled up in his eyes - there was joy, satisfaction and peace in those eyes at the end of a long 17-year wait.

Batting first, Bengaluru scored 190 runs for 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Although the early departure of Phil Salt at the beginning of the innings gave a slight shock, the pair of Kohli and Agarwal held the team together. Kohli played a mature innings of 43 runs from 35 balls. Then Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone quickly added some runs and took the team to the place of competition. Towards the end, Shepherd's 17 runs from 9 balls gave the innings an extra momentum.

Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson were the most successful for Punjab, both of whom took three wickets each. Arshdeep blocked the way back into the match by bowling brilliantly in the last over for just 3 runs.

In reply, Punjab started well, batting. Openers Prabsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya put on 43 runs. However, the team started losing wickets at regular intervals. Captain Shreyas Iyer departed for just 1 run, which was a big blow for the team. Inglis started well but could not extend the innings. Nehal Wadhera was unbeaten, and Marcus Stoinis hit a six and was dismissed the next ball, paving the way for Punjab's defeat.

In the end, Shashank Singh continued to fight alone. He played a devastating innings of 61 runs off 30 balls with 6 sixes and 3 fours. But his single-handed effort could not win. Punjab were restricted to 184 runs despite needing 13 runs in the last over.

Krunal Pandya bowled brilliantly for Bangalore, taking two match-winning wickets for just 17 runs in 4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also took 2 wickets.

With this victory, Kohli got his much-desired IPL title. In this season that started in 2008, Bangalore had reached the final three times before and suffered the pain of defeat. This time, that chapter has come to an end. RCB's victory as one of the most popular franchise teams in the cricket world has added a new feather in the history of IPL.

On the other hand, Punjab Kings' disappointment seems to be prolonging. They have not seen the face of the title in 18 years. Even after reaching the final, the dream of that title faded in front of Preity Zinta's team.

In the end, this final match will be memorable for only one reason - Virat Kohli has lifted the IPL trophy for the first time. This victory is not just a trophy, it is an emotion, a product of a wait, a glorious moment for a cricket legend.