Kohli's RCB end 18-year wait for maiden IPL title

Indian Premier League, Final, Ahmedabad

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 190-9 (20 overs): Kohli 43 (35); Arshdeep 3-40, Jamieson 3-48

Punjab Kings 184-7 (20 overs): Shashank 61* (30); Pandya 2-17

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by six runs

Scorecard

Virat Kohli finally won the Indian Premier League as Royal Challengers Bengaluru sealed their maiden title with a six-run win over Punjab Kings.

The 36-year-old India legend, the only player to represent the same franchise in every edition of the tournament, top-scored for RCB, hitting 43 in his side's 190-9 from 20 overs.

Kings, who were also seeking a first IPL title, were unable to chase down their target, finishing on 184-7.

Opening the batting alongside England's Phil Salt, Kohli's crucial knock from 35 deliveries, took RCB to 143 before he was the fourth wicket to fall, caught and bowled by Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai.

Salt struck 16 from nine balls before being caught by Shreyas Iyer off Kyle Jamieson, while England all-rounder Liam Livingstone hit 25 as the side's numbers three to six all posted scores in the mid-20s.

Having accumulated steadily, Andy Flower's team failed to accelerate in the final over, with Arshdeep Singh taking three wickets in his last six balls to ensure RCB didn't pass 200.

Kings found themselves 98-4 in the 13th over of their reply, losing captain and star batter Shreyas for just one, caught by Jitesh Sharma off Romario Shepherd.

Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh began to rebuild, but their side's challenge effectively ended when Wadhera and the big-hitting Marcus Stoinis were both caught in the same Bhuvneshwar Kumar over.

Needing 29 from Josh Hazlewood's final over, Shashank hammered 22 from the last four balls of the innings, bringing his side tantalisingly close to their target with an unbeaten 61.

However, his efforts were ultimately in vain, and after 18 years and three previous final defeats, Kohli and RCB could finally celebrate a successful IPL campaign.