"Fitting that jersey number 18 lifts....": Cricketers, Karnataka politicians hail RCB for maiden IPL title win

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], January 4 (ANI): Several members of the cricketing and political fraternity took to social media to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifting their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy on Tuesday.
RCB ended their long wait for a title as standout bowling performances from Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal secured a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar posted on the social media platform X, he wrote, 'Congratulations to @RCBTweets on their first-ever IPL title. Fitting that jersey no. 18 lifts the trophy in the 18th edition. Well played and well deserved! Well played to @PunjabKingsIPL as well for a well-fought season.'
https://x.com/sachin_rt/status/1929967510570578424
Former RCB skipper Faf du Plessis simply applauded the win. He wrote, 'RCB (clapping emoji) @RCBTweets'
https://x.com/faf1307/status/1929963840994685282
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, whose brother Krunal was playing for RCB and delivered a match-winning spell, posted a story congratulating his brother on Instagram.
World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also posted how 'the best stories are worth the wait'.
'Been a long wait, but the best stories are worth it! To win after 18 years takes more than talent It takes belief, resilience and fire. Congrats @RCBTweets on a well-earned title. Massive congratulations to @imVkohli All these seasons, one team and belief in that one dream! And what a moment to have @ABdeVilliers17 and @henrygayle at the ground cheering on the legacy they helped shape. Well done #RajatPatidar and to the entire team and support staff of #RCB! Tough luck to @PunjabKingsIPL. They played fearless cricket and came close! Led with great intent by @ShreyasIyer15! Chin up, boys. The fight was real, and so was the heart,' posted Yuvraj, who also represented RCB.
https://x.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1929970776754508262
Former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan also posted, 'Ee Sala Cup Namde - Finally for real! Well-deserved win for RCB! After 18 long years, the team holds the trophy of Tata IPL 2025! With all the ups & downs, what an outstanding season this has been! Tough luck for PBKS, they gave it all, but it was RCB's night for sure! Well played, boys! #RCBvsPBKS #IPLFinals #IPL2025.'
https://x.com/SDhawan25/status/1929978623039062258
Ex-South African opener Herschelle Gibbs also welcomed RCB to the 'winners' circle'.
https://x.com/hershybru/status/1929962151503876121
Former West Indies pacer and commentator Ian Bishop also described Virat's journey to the title as worth the wait.
'Congratulations to @RCB on their first IPL title. Year 18 and number 18, a great story. The journey has been long, but surely worth the wait,' posted Bishop.
https://x.com/irbishi/status/1929968196666208557
Ex-Indian cricketer Ambati Rayadu, a six-time IPL winner with Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), also posted, 'Finally! Very Happy for Rcb and their amazing team and fans.. truly deserve it.. congratulations!!'
https://x.com/RayuduAmbati/status/1929961122301657175
Former England captain Michael Vaughan also posted, 'Finally @RCBTweets.. Well done .. #IPLFinal #Champions.'
https://x.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1929959173837541625
Some notable Karnataka politicians also congratulated RCB on their win, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivkumar.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah posted, 'Congratulations to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on a historic IPL triumph! The dream has finally come true - Ee Sala Cup Namde! From electrifying performances to unshakable spirit, this triumph has ignited the pride of Karnataka and thrilled fans across the world. #RCB #IPLChampions2025 #EeSalaCupNamde.'
https://x.com/siddaramaiah/status/1929959346919879114
Whereas, Karnataka Deputy CM Shivkumar also shared, '18 years of wait.. It's been worth it .Thank you @RCBTweets#RCBForever.'
https://x.com/DKShivakumar/status/1929963351108661704
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Basavaraj Bommai also wrote, 'Hearty congratulations to the RCB team for becoming champions by defeating the #PunjabKings in the IPL final. The final match held at the #NarendraModiStadium in Ahmedabad was filled with excitement. With a fierce bowling attack and a well-coordinated team effort, RCB ended their 18-year IPL trophy drought. Under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, RCB fulfilled the dreams of millions of fans. Heartfelt congratulations to the entire @RCBTweets team!
https://x.com/BSBommai/status/1929968697978040829
Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to bowl first. Arshdeep Singh (3/40) and Kyle Jamieson (3/48) applied timely breaks with the ball, while Yuzi Chahal (1/37) also prevented batters from attacking. While Virat (43 in 35 balls, with three fours) tried to keep the innings together, skipper Rajat Patidar (26 in 16 balls, with a four and two sixes), Jitesh Sharma (24 in 10 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Liam Livingstone (25 in 15 balls, with two fours) upped the attack enough to help RCB post 190/9 in 20 overs.
In the run-chase, PBKS started well with Priyansh Arya (24 in 19 balls, with four boundaries) and Prabhsimran (26 in 22 balls, with two sixes) stitching a 43-run stand. Josh Inglis (39 in 23 balls, with a four and four sixes) and Shashank Singh (61* in 30 balls, three wins and six sixes) tried their level best to keep up with the rising run rate, but Krunal Panddya (2/17), Yash Dayal (1/18) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/38) put a fine show with the ball to restrict PBKS to 184/7, despite a sensational 22 runs smashed by Shashank in the final over while needing 29.
The title wait continues for PBKS, who reached their second final and their first in 11 years. (ANI)

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