Post by : Mariam
Al-Faris
Photo: AFP
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag recently compared Virat Kohli’s long wait to win an IPL trophy with Sachin Tendulkar’s even longer wait for an ODI World Cup title. Kohli finally achieved his dream when Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the IPL 2025 final.
This win gave RCB their first-ever IPL title after 18 years, ending a long wait for the team. Sehwag pointed out that Kohli’s wait was just 18 years, while Tendulkar waited from 1989 to 2011 to win the World Cup. Despite the long wait, Tendulkar never gave up hope and was determined to retire only after lifting the World Cup trophy.
Sehwag said that now Kohli can feel relieved and retire from IPL without any regrets whenever he wants. He added that players play to win trophies, and although money is important, winning titles is much harder. Kohli’s wait has ended, and he played a key role in RCB’s success this season.
Kohli was the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches with an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71. He hit eight fifties, with his best score being an unbeaten 73 off 54 balls against Punjab Kings, helping his team chase 158 runs in just 18.5 overs.
On the bowling side, Josh Hazlewood took the most wickets in the tournament, with 22 wickets in 12 matches, averaging 17.54 with an economy rate of 8.77. RCB’s win was a true team effort, with nine different players winning the Player of the Match award throughout the season, finally ending their long title drought.
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