WATCH: Virat Kohli gets EMOTIONAL while sharing feelings after…

All the fans are excited about the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The reason behind the excitement would be the return of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the defending champions.

RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 opener

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play their first match against their well-known rivals, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). SRH defeated them back in the 2016 IPL finals.

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However, ahead of the IPL 2026, star Indian player and one of the finest batters of all time, Virat Kohli, is known for his brilliant batting performance and crucial knocks. Kohli opened up about when RCB lifted the trophy in 2025.

Virat Kohli shares his feeling after winning IPL title for the first time in 18 years

Kohli revealed that he felt a sense of calm confidence when RCB reached the IPL final. He also shared that the toughest moment for him was waiting for the match to officially end after they had almost secured the win.

The title win was a special and emotional moment for Kohli, as it completed his white-ball trophy collection in his 18th season with RCB. During the final moments of the match, he was seen teary-eyed on camera, as the long wait and years of disappointment finally came to an end with every ball of the last over.

“I have been here since day one, and so has Mane (Team’s masseur Ramesh Mane) Kaka. We are probably the oldest members of the RCB group, and to be very honest, when we reached the finals (against Punjab Kings), I felt a sense of calm confidence,” Kohli said in a video shared by RCB.

“It is a final, and there is another team that has played really, really well to get there and obviously beaten a lot of good sides, so they are also very confident of what they want to do,” he added.

Kohli opens up on RCB’s hard work and dedication

Kohli also opened up about years of hard work and dedication by RCB to reach this milestone: “Because the league has become so much more competitive, we must have played really good cricket to get to the finals. It is not a fluke, it is not by chance. We have beaten some really good teams, and we are an amazing side who have earned the right to be here on this day. All in all, it was an amazing night for all of us.“

“It was quite surreal for me honestly, quite unbelievable when it was all unfolding in the end. So many things flash in front of your eyes. The whole journey for 18 years, all the ups and downs, all the good moments, bad moments, it’s like the accumulation of all of that is unfolding in front of you, and that is going to happen in the next 10 minutes. It is a very difficult thing to explain, it is a thing to experience,” he added.

‘That experience I will never ever forget’: Virat Kohli

“And that experience I will never ever forget. And especially the last over, where you know the game is sealed, hoping that Josh (Hazlewood) does not bowl a no-ball, which he never does. So there was a quiet confidence but still as I said you are hoping for the perfect result. So knowing that the game is beyond them and then to wait for those last three balls was probably the toughest part of the night,” he concluded.