‘First thing I did upon landing…': How Shashi Tharoor, other politicians reacted to RCB's maiden IPL victory

The streets of Bengaluru echoed with the sound of crackers and chants of 'Ee Sala Cup Namde' (this time the cup is ours) on Tuesday night, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru or RCB clinched their first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title, ending an 18-year-long quest for the trophy.
Excited fans and youth flooded the streets, celebrating the momentous win with firecrackers and spirited slogans, especially hailing star players like Virat Kohli. The celebrations were not just limited to fans — leaders across political parties took to social media to congratulate the team on their historic achievement.
RCB secured the title with a narrow six-run win over Punjab Kings in the final held in Ahmedabad, putting an end to nearly two decades of anticipation.
After finishing second in the group stage, RCB stormed into the final with a commanding eight-wicket victory in Qualifier 1 against table-toppers PBKS. Punjab Kings later defeated Mumbai Indians to reach their second-ever IPL final, where they once again fell short — this time to a determined RCB side.
Tejaswi Surya and Shashi Tharoor cheer RCB from Washington DC: BJP MP Tejaswi Surya, who is part of India's multi-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, shared a video on X celebrating RCB's victory. The two were in Washington DC when the match concluded.
Surya said, "We were on the flight when news of RCB's win came through, but the first thing we checked after landing was this."
He added, "I am with Shashi Tharoor, who is also an RCB supporter."
Both leaders expressed their joy in the video and called the win a momentous occasion. Surya posted the clip on X with the caption: 'Wishing RCB from Washington DC upon our touchdown.'
In a separate post, Shashi Tharoor wrote, 'First thing I did upon landing in Washington was to check the #IPLFinal score. Very happy for @imVkohli that he #18 laid his hands on the trophy after 18 years of service! Congratulations #RCB! #ViratKohli.'
CM Siddaramaiah's Rrrrrrrrr.... Cccccccc.... Bbbbbbbbb....' chant: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah lauded the historic victory and called it a fulfilment of a long-held dream. He posted: 'Congratulations to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on a historic IPL triumph. The dream has finally come true – Ee Sala Cup Namde!'
He added, "From electrifying performances to unshakable spirit, this triumph has ignited the pride of Karnataka and thrilled fans across the world."
DK Shivakumar says 'An emotional moment for the RCB Army': Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar called RCB's victory more than just a win — an emotional milestone for fans. He said: 'This is more than a win - it's an emotional moment for the entire RCB Army.' And added: 'Ee Sala Cup Namde! Huge congratulations to RCB on this unforgettable, historic victory in the IPLFinals. 18 years of passion, loyalty, and never giving up - and tonight, it all came together!'
HD Kumaraswamy says it is 'a win for fans who never gave up': Union minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy praised the team's resilience and credited fans for their unwavering support. He said, 'What a moment for Bengaluru, Karnataka and cricket lovers across the nation! RCB emerges victorious — a testament to grit, belief, and the spirit of Karnataka.' He added that he was proud of the team for creating history and saluted the fans who stood by RCB for 18 years.
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav: MP CM congratulated RCB and highlighted the role of Indore's Rajat Patidar in the team's success saying, 'Hearty congratulations and best wishes to @RCBTweets team on becoming the winner for the first time with an unprecedented victory in #IPLFinal match. The team achieving top success under the leadership of Rajat Patidar of Indore is a moment of immense joy, celebration and pride for all of us residents of Madhya Pradesh. The new talents of cricket performed brilliantly, best wishes to all of you for a bright future.'
Rishi Sunak cheers RCB live from Ahmedabad: Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, along with his wife Akshata Murty, to support RCB. He posted a selfie on X and wrote, "Let's go @RCBTweets."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hindustan Times

15 minutes ago

• Hindustan Times

Mohammed Siraj 'wanted to instil fear'; heated exchange backfires as Harry Brook makes him suffer for exchanging words

Mohammed Siraj was expected to shoulder Jasprit Bumrah's responsibility in the absence of Mohammed Shami, but the India pacer, in just his first outing on the tour of England, gave his bowling partner more headaches than relief. Siraj became India's fourth centurion of the Headingley Test match, conceding 2/122, allowing England to pummel 466 in their first innings. But more than the wayward bowling, it was Siraj's attitude and reluctance to learn from his mistakes that infuriated more. It's no secret that Siraj loves to be aggressive, rile the opposition batter up. When it comes off, he looks like a million dollars, but when it doesn't, he reiterates the thin line that exists between looking sexy and looking stupid. India's Mohammed Siraj, right, and England's Harry Brook, left, exchange words on Day 3 of first Test(AFP) Also Read: India vs England, 1st Test Day 3 Updates Unfortunately, on Day 3 of the first Test at Headingley, it was the latter. Not only did Siraj bleed runs, but also looked like he was running out of ideas. Perhaps it was the same frustration that made him have a go at Harry Brook. In the 84th over, a ball from Siraj struck Brook on his pads. Siraj stood there looking at Brook before the batter finally retaliated with something. And that was all it took. Siraj muttered a few words back, and after a few back-and-forth words exchanged, Brook finally shushed Siraj away. That was all the England batter needed to get charged up, as after that incident, Brook went on to unleash a maddening carnage on the Indian bowlers. Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah points towards heaven after picking fifer despite India stars failing him; equals Kapil Dev's record Dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal an over ago, Brook went 6, 4, 4 off Siraj's next to race into the 90s. He looked set for a hundred, but after getting three reprieves, Brook hooked a ball from Prasidh Krishna right down Shardul Thakur's throat at fine leg to get out on 99. Siraj and Jaiswal breathed a sigh of relief, but that doesn't mask the overall picture – Siraj's aggression that needs to be controlled. Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who was on commentary, aptly summed up what's wrong with Siraj's aggression and why it backfires more often than it succeeds. Dinesh Karthik had a word with Mohammed Siraj during IPL 2025 "Interesting to see Siraj get a bit aggressive. Just have a look at him. Hits the elbow. Siraj had something to say. He likes to get aggressive. He was playing against RCB as well. He got aggressive. And then in one game, he came up against Phil Salt. The game was in Delhi. RCB were chasing and he thought it was the best way to get himself pumped it," Karthik said. "Siraj gave a few words back to Phil Salt and then Salt took off after that. After the match got over, I asked Siraj 'Why did you have to go after him? You were bowling so nicely. He said 'No, I just wanted to instil some fear'. I said but that's what he likes. He immediately turned and said 'You should have told me after before the game started. Not after I got hit'". Siraj's form with the ball has long been a concern for India. He was dropped from India's Champions Trophy squad, but after showing some spark in the IPL for Gujarat Titans, the pacer was picked in India's 18-member squad. Long way ahead, but Siraj should not mind fine-tuning a few things to get back to being a potent threat with the ball.

NDTV

22 minutes ago

• NDTV

"After He Failed In Australia...": Rishabh Pant's Childhood Coach Points Out Changes He Made

After an underwhelming tour to Australia marked by poor shot selection, Rishabh Pant has begun the series against England in an emphatic fashion, scoring a hundred at Leeds to showcase his extraordinary talent. Devender Sharma, one of Pant's childhood coaches alongside the late Tarak Sinha, attributed the resurgence to the work the wicketkeeper batter has put in on his defence and shot selection. "After he failed in Australia, he made a lot of changes to his defensive techniques and curbed his stroke play, which you also saw in the match. Pant is a match-winner," Sharma told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview. "Before he went to England, we discussed his defense because his Australia tour didn't go well. We decided he would play fewer strokes and focus more on batting there. England's conditions are different; there's more movement," he added. The effort Pant has put in behind the scenes were evident in the dazzling array of shots he played en route a magnificent 134 in the first Test in Leeds. During his knock, Pant also went past MS Dhoni for the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper in Test cricket, bringing up his seventh ton on the second day of the series opener against England. This isn't Pant's first hundred in England, for he had struck one during the team's last tour of that country. The coach attributed Pant's success in England's challenging conditions to his unique ability to "bat with ample time" and play from a "slightly deeper position." "He scored a hundred last time in England as well. He has a lot of time when he bats, which is a factor that makes him successful in England. Playing in the second line gives him a significant advantage," he asserted. Pant struck a six off the first ball of the 100th over of India's first innings, clearing the fence off Shoaib Bashir to bring up the milestone. He completed 3,000 Test runs during his innings and has 15 fifties in 44 matches and averages nearly 44. Sharma sees Pant as an all-format player. "I feel that Rishabh is a player who can play all three formats. He isn't in the team right now, but I believe he will come back after his IPL failure. If you're a good player, you'll perform." It was his first century since September 2024 when he scored 109 against Bangladesh at Chennai.

NDTV

33 minutes ago

• NDTV

"In Middle Of...": Rohit Sharma Narrates Tale Of His Romantic Proposal To Wife Ritika Sajdeh

India ODI captain Rohit Sharma opened up on his romantic marriage proposal to wife Ritika Sajdeh. Rohit announced his Test retirement last month and is currently not part of the Indian team for the ongoing Test series against England. He was last seen in action during the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) season. During an interaction with former India spinner Harbhajan Singh and his wife Geeta Basra, Rohit narrated the tale of how he orchestrated a surprise proposal by taking Ritika to his childhood cricket ground. Rohit also revealed that he took Ritika to the ground under the pretense of having ice cream. "My proposal was quite romantic. I took her to the place where I started playing cricket. We were here only (somewhere along Marine Drive apparently). She had brought food from home. We ate it. So, I was just sitting. Then I told her let's go out to eat ice cream, I'm bored. Then we took the car out, we left. We left from Marine Drive, crossed Haji Ali, Worli. So, she asked where is the ice cream shop? She does not know anything after Bandra. I told her there's a good one in Borivali, where I live. You've never come, so let me show you," revealed Rohit. Rohit recalled that he got down on one knee to propose Ritika in the middle of ground, a moment which was beautifully captured by his friends. "It was a ground and it was pitch dark and she didn't realise it was a ground. Then I had already told my friend to set up something there at the ground and just be there to capture the moment. We parked the car. Then I went on my knees, in the middle of the pitch. Then, I proposed to her," he added. Rohit's retirement from Test cricket came days before former India Virat Kohli also made the shock announcement that he won't be playing in the whites again for India either. Both Rohit and Kohli had also retired from T20Is last year, following India's win over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final.