Virat Kohli proudly proclaimed his "heart and soul are with Bangalore", after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their maiden Indian Premier League title on Tuesday.

RCB sealed a six-run win over the Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, where their bowlers held their nerve to defend a below-par score of 190 to end an 18-year wait to lift the trophy.

Kohli has been RCB’s talisman for the entirety of the IPL, having joined the team for the inaugural season in 2008 in the under-19 draft.

He has played all 18 seasons of the IPL for RCB - the only player to have done so for a single franchise - and is the tournament’s all-time leading run-scorer with 8,661 runs.

Bengaluru had previously come close to winning the IPL, having made the finals in 2009, 2011, and 2016, but faced heartbreak at the final step each time.

On Tuesday, though, their wait for the elusive title finally ended, and Kohli was understandably overcome with emotion.

My heart is for Bangalore, my soul is for Bangalore...this is the team I will play for until the last day that I play the IPL.

Virat Kohli, straight from the heart as a #TATAIPL champion#RCBvPBKS | #Final | #TheLastMile | @imVkohli | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/4UI4yNKLuB

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 3, 2025

"This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team," he said. "It's been 18 long years. I've given this team my youth, prime and experience. I've tried to win it every season, given it everything I have. To finally have it is an unbelievable feeling.

"I never thought this day would come. Honestly, I was overcome with emotion after the last ball was bowled. I gave each and every ounce of my energy, and it's an amazing feeling. I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight.

"I've stayed loyal to this team, no matter what. I've had moments where I thought otherwise, but I stuck to this team. I stood behind them, they stood behind me.

"I always dreamt of winning it with them. And this is far more special than winning it with anyone else, because my heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore."

"As a sportsman, you grind for something, and this is a very high-intensity, high-quality tournament, which is of great value in world cricket today.

"I'm someone that wants to win the big tournaments, the big moments, and this one was missing."

AAAAARRRRR CEEEEEEE BEEEEEE #TATAIPL | #RCBvPBKS | #Final | #TheLastMile | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/lp3AwgCVQl

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 3, 2025

Speaking on his own performance this season, which saw him record yet another 600-plus run campaign, he added: "Well, I have an opportunity to play this game for not many years. There is an end date to our career.

"By the time that I hang up my boots, I want to sit at home and say I gave it everything I had, so I always look for ways to improve."

Kohli finished as the season’s third-highest run-scorer, with 657 runs at an average of 54.75.

The 36-year-old was also keen to credit his team-mates and the RCB coaching staff for their success.

"This management, this group of players has been outstanding, to be honest," he continued. "They've gotten the right kind of players, match winners, people who take the game on.

“We had a lot of confidence in the strength of this group, and I want to give a big shout out to this team.

"It would not have been possible without each and every one in the squad, in the playing XI, the management backing the players, keeping us positive throughout when the going got tough.

"This win is for Bangalore. It's for each and every one of the players, and the families, and the whole management as well."