IPL poetic justice for Virat Kohli, finally

Is there a case for comparison between Virat Kohli and Lionel Messi? The Argentine won nearly every major football trophy at both club and individual levels - multiple Champions League titles, multiple Ballon d'Ors, multiple domestic league crowns, and even a continental triumph with Argentina. But for years, the FIFA World Cup remained the elusive piece of silverware - until the 2022 FIFA World Cup happened.

Kohli's case was similar but presented a kind of reverse vacuum. He had won it all - the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2008, the ODI World Cup in 2011, Champions Trophies in 2013 and 2025, multiple Asia Cups, the ICC Test Mace (for three consecutive years), and the T20 World Cup in 2024. One trophy, though, continued to elude him - the IPL. That was only till Tuesday night. That gap too was filled, just as Messi completed his legacy journey in 2022.

"For him it's all about winning games for RCB," said Mike Hesson, hailing Kohli for his passion, longevity, intensity and loyalty. Kohli is one of the four players active since the IPL's inception in 2008 - MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey being the other three - and the only one to have stayed with the same franchise for all 18 seasons. Even Dhoni and Rohit do not have that distinction. The IPL glory is poetic justice.

"I for one am absolutely delighted for him. I don't think anyone deserved it more for the amount he's given and the dedication and the patience, I guess the patience and commitment to RCB to keep pushing to win that first title. So there was a real desire, hunger and genuineness about it. So yeah, I watched it from afar and egged on RCB. I'm as happy as anyone," Hesson stated.

Most runs in the IPL (8661, leads the second placed batter by more than 1500 runs), most 500-plus runs (eight) in an IPL edition, third most IPL caps (267), 10 appearances in the IPL play-offs, four final appearances, most hundreds (eight), most fifties (63), maximum runs in a season (973 in 2016) and most fours (771) - few players are more deserving of the IPL honours. After his 43 in the final versus Punjab Kings, Kohli has taken his runs tally to 657 runs, third highest of the season.

"Look, when I think about Virat, I talk about the intensity that he brings from a team perspective," Hesson, who worked with Kohli for three years at RCB as coach, remarked. "And that to me, along with the fact he's had five seasons of 600-plus runs... they dictate the outcome of the games."

One of the most extraordinary aspects of Kohli is his evolution - he has stayed relevant to the league from Season 1 in 2008 to Season 18 in 2025 even as the cricket itself, more so T20 cricket, kept changing. "He's evolved with the game. So the fact the game pace has changed, scores are higher, he hasn't got lost in that. You know, he's actually just, he's just pushed himself and he's got better and you know, strike rates have improved."

Every new generation is known to bat faster than the previous one - like Dhoni and Rohit batting faster than Sachin, Jaiswal batting faster than Rohit and now the likes of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre bat faster than Jaiswal. Even as the new generations started dominating, Kohli kept evolving and kept bucking the trend and kept staying relevant to the team's cause. His strike rate over the last two seasons is higher than his career strike rate.

He is like an avalanche, says R Sridhar, a former India fielding coach, who has worked with him for eight years. "What stands out most about Virat are his passion, longevity, and unwavering intensity. Even after 18 years, he brings the same fire, the same impact, and the same fierce commitment that marked his debut season. His intensity becomes even more evident when compared to others who've been around since the early years - it simply hasn't dimmed. And Virat's influence extends well beyond RCB. His dedication to fitness and discipline has inspired others across teams to adopt similar regimens. He's like an avalanche - starting small, but eventually growing into a towering force."

Virat Kohli has never shied away from speaking out about the heartbreak of 2016. Recently he dwelt on the dual setbacks of the season - losing to the West Indies in the T20 World Cup semifinal and loss in the IPL final to SunRisers Hyderabad. "It took me a few days to get over the WT20 loss, because I was in such a position that I thought I could do it for India," he said and recalled how everything was set up for their IPL celebrations that season.

"Yes, I understand why 2016 still stings for him. We needed just 69 runs from 44 balls with nine wickets in hand with Kohli still batting. Everything was in place - a theme party had been arranged, a victory caravan was lined up, fan celebrations were planned. And then, suddenly, it all slipped away. We had Virat, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, KL Rahul. That was a golden opportunity," Bharat Arun, a former India bowling coach who was part of the RCB support staff that season recalled.

"I'm certain he's spoken in the dressing room, maybe even in the pre-match huddle. With 18 seasons under his belt - remarkably, all with the same franchise - he brings unparalleled continuity and experience," Arun continued. "Is he desperate? I'm not so sure. After all, he's already won everything else there is. An IPL trophy would be the icing on the cake - not just for him, but for the loyal RCB fans who've stood by him all these years."

Same was the view of Sanjay Bangar, who has worked with Kohli in different stages for about 10 years. "There was perhaps more desire than desperation. For someone who has scaled the peaks of international cricket and won five ICC titles, an IPL trophy cannot be a miss. The IPL is a domestic competition, while World Cups and Champions Trophies are on global stages. Yes, the IPL title is the only major trophy missing from his cabinet, but I wouldn't say he was desperate. He was certainly deeply committed to the pursuit of IPL glory and has given it his all across 18 seasons for the franchise and the RCB fans."

So the wait is finally over for Kohli. The Season 18 of the IPL was a great spectacle in many ways. It will be remembered for many things, but the enduring image will be that of tears streaming down Kohli's face.