Cricket superstar Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers finally end 18-year IPL title drought

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Fireworks went off around India as Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended its drought by finally being crowned Indian Premier League’s champion.

In cricket’s largest stadium — the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad — that packed in 132,000 fans, Bengaluru held Punjab Kings to 184 for seven after posting 190 for nine in an exciting finale.

At the 18th attempt, the Royal Challengers finally struck gold after falling at the final hurdle in 2009, 2011 and 2016, and one of the game’s greatest players finally got his hands on the one trophy that eluded him all these years.

Virat Kohli was thrown in the air by his excited teammates after a slight scare thrown into them by Punjab’s Shashank Singh, who blasted 61 off 30 balls with a 6, 4, 6 and 6.

But it was a little too late to stop Kohli and his teammates from getting their hands on the most-prized cricket club trophy in the world.

As one would expect in cricket-crazed India, the country came to a virtual standstill for roughly four hours and, according to reports, the hysteria in Bengaluru hit an all-time high with rickshaw drivers offering free rides anywhere the game was televised.

At one time it appeared the undisputed poster boy of the IPL and Indian cricket was destined to follow in the footsteps of greats such as soccer’s Johan Cruyff, George Best and Paolo Maldini of falling short of the ultimate silverware. But it was not to be.

But the right-handed superstar and the face of Indian cricket after the great Sachin Tendulkar retired won the ODI World Cup at 22 and, two years later at 24, he was a member of India’s Champions Trophy. In the past 12 months the 36-year-old Kohli completed the World Twenty20 Cup and the Champions Trophy double.

Kohli did his job in the final with a top score of 43 from 35 balls, but with just three boundaries, and skipper Rajat Patidar weighed in with 26 off 16.

Another player who played a huge part in the victory was spinner Krunal Pandya, who grabbed two for 17 with 12 dot balls and conceded just one boundary.

For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson took three wickets apiece, with Arshdeep striking three times in the final over to derail RCB’s hopes of posting more than 200.

As one would expect, Kohli was overcome by emotion. He was in tears, his head bowed and also on his knees, as he cast his eyes toward the trophy.

“This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team,” Kohli said after the game. “It’s been 18 long years. I’ve given this team my youth, my prime and my experience. I’ve tried to win this every season when I come, give it everything I have. To have this moment is an unbelievable feeling.

“I never thought this day would come. I was overcome with emotion as soon as the last ball was bowled. This means so much to me. I’ve given each and every ounce of my energy to this team. To have finally won the IPL is an amazing feeling. I am so very grateful for this victory, so thankful for God for giving me finally tonight. I just put my head down, stay humble, work as hard as I possibly, find ways to help the team,” Kohli added.

The most lucrative league in the world that churns out millionaires comes to an end on a high after it was interrupted by a border war involving neighbouring Pakistan.

This year, 65 international cricketers from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, England and Afghanistan joined India’s high-profile players in the tournament that drew millions of fans around the world. The game’s focus now shifts on Tests and ODIs around the rest of the world.

JOE TAKES ROOT

After Joe Root gave up his role as England skipper a couple of years ago, he has blossomed into a world-class batsman. Not that he wasn’t before that but shedding the captaincy where he was a disaster, Root has now become a force with the bat and he has become the country’s leading ODI scorer.

He clobbered a brilliant unbeaten 166 to power England to a three-wicket victory over the West Indies in Cardiff. Root, who is also his country’s highest run-scorer in Tests, piloted England to 309 for seven with seven balls remaining to overtake the Windies’ 308 thanks to a century from Keacy Carty’s 103 and half-centuries from Brandon King and Shai Hope. Root surpassed Eoin Morgan’s record of 6,957 runs and helped England recover from 93 for four. “I want to give as much as I can and play for England for as long as I can,’’ said the 34-year-old Root. “Until that desire to turn up and get better every day, to add to the group and be at the end of a chase like that . . . . when that’s not a burning desire any more, then it would be time to stop.”

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