Seventeen years of pain, ridicule and near misses are enough to break the spirit of many. Even if theirs did, Virat Kohli and Bengaluru fans had mastered the art of hiding it since 2008.
Finally, in the 18th year, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's growing pains ceased and they no longer need to look at others for guidance; they can now chart their own path after a richly deserved IPL title.
A mere six runs was the difference between victory and defeat in the final against Punjab Kings on Tuesday. One hit either side, or a few dot balls here and there, and it could well have been Punjab lifting their maiden IPL trophy.
But Bengaluru probably were more desperate, slightly better prepared. Or maybe it was Kohli's destiny to receive the last remaining accolade of a glorious career – that of an IPL champion.
The superstar Indian batter has achieved almost everything one can on the cricket field – lift the ICC Test mace, win the ODI and T20 World Cup, and the 50-over Champions Trophy.
But for nearly 20 years, Kohli had to go through two months of suffering as a result of being a lifelong RCB leader, loyalist and star batter.
Even Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni – the other 'OGs' of IPL – have played for other franchises, but not Kohli. He had professed his loyalty to the franchise and its fans long back, especially as they cheered for him, his teammates and his team irrespective of the results, never wavering and barely complaining.
This year, Kohli and RCB owed it to the fans. Their women's team had already ended the trophy drought the previous season in the women's IPL. Now, the men's team needed to step up.
It was a long process. Every year Bengaluru would get one aspect of the game spot on – top order batting – and lose the plot in other crucial areas – bowling and local talent.
This season, at the player auction, Bengaluru hit the bullseye, putting together a perfectly balanced squad.
Kohli was handed an outstanding opening partner in Phil Salt and reliable batters in the middle order in captain Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma. Some useful knocks from their power hitters Romario Shepherd, Tim David and even Krunal Pandya proved enough to take them all the way to the final.
Kohli once again was by far the best batter, finishing with another 600-plus season – 657 runs from 15 innings to be exact. But he had scored way more before. What mattered this time was Bengaluru's bowling.
Bringing in Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood (22 wickets) and pairing him with the relentless Bhuvneshwar Kumar (17 scalps) was one of the smartest decisions in recent years in the league.
The two provided eight overs of precision at the start and the death throughout the season – something no other side could boast.
Add to it the more than capable left-arm pace of Yash Dayal (13 wickets) and Bengaluru had a formidable bowling attack.
What made them champions, however, was the unheralded Krunal (17 wickets). The less celebrated elder brother of Hardik Pandya is also a capable all-rounder and this season, he turned out to be the trump card with his extreme variations.
Krunal started the season bowling 120kph bouncers to surprise unsuspecting batters and finished it with a match-winning spell of 2-17 while defending 190, relying on classic left-arm spin with subtle changes in trajectory and release points.
It all fell in place perfectly in the final in Ahmedabad. Kohli could barely contain himself as it dawned upon him that he was going to lift the trophy. His wife Anushka Sharma was there. So were other RCB heroes AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.
The emotions were too great to control. For the best part of his career, Kohli was at the pinnacle of cricket as the premier batter and superstar of the game, attracting the next generation of fans in the sport – and outside – to the charms of cricket, especially the Test format.
As captain, he was the toughest, most hard working and unforgiving. But he did not win any major title. As reality hit home, Kohli stepped away from the pressures of leadership – at the national level and also at his beloved RCB.
It all happened simultaneously and coincided with a gradual decline in his batting form. Over the past few seasons, the runs started to come in fits and starts, just not as smoothly as before. Maybe it was the beginning of the end.
He had a stupendous 2023 ODI World Cup, which ended in another heartbreak for him and the nation in the final. Time was surely running out when he played in the 2024 T20 World Cup. There, in the final, he scored a title-winning fifty.
Kohli's Test career then nosedived by the end of last year, resulting in an unsavoury decoupling from the format. But this period was sweetened by another world title – the 50-over Champions Trophy – where Kohli excelled.
The IPL was all that remained. On Tuesday, Kohli closed that chapter as well.
Kohli has served cricket with great distinction, becoming the de facto face of the sport as it propagated in new territories. Thankfully, cricket can now also say it gave Kohli everything that it could for his services.
