IPL 2025: Anand Mahindra pays tribute to ‘loyal’ Virat Kohli as he lifts cup for RCB for 1st time in 18 years

IPL 2025: Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, paid an emotional tribute to the star cricketer, ‘loyal’ Virat Kohli, as he lifted the IPL cup for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the first time in 18 years.

“Loyalty like this doesn’t just win titles — it carves legacies,” Mahindra said in an X post.

Highlighting Virat Kohli's unwavering loyalty to the team over the years, despite not winning the championship, Mahindra said, “For 18 years, Virat Kohli gave his heart to a team that had never touched the trophy.”

“Waiting for the light of that dawn. And now, at last, the stars have answered his faith.”

He also quoted Rabindranath Tagore and said, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

Virat Kohli joined RCB as a 19-year-old soon after winning the 2008 U-19 World Cup. He played in two IPL finals as a player, in 2009 and 2011, and led RCB as a captain to the final of the 2016 season as a 27-year-old.

His 973 runs in that gargantuan season remain an IPL record.

Kohli relinquished captaincy at the end of the 2021 season and still continued to give his best as a batter. He was the top scorer in the 2025 final for RCB, scoring 43 off 35 balls.

‘I gave my youth…’: Virat Kohli

“I gave my youth, my prime, and my experience,” said a teary-eyed Virat Kohli after winning the match.

The star cricketer added: “I have given everything to the team for the last 18 years. I have been loyal to this team, no matter what. I stood with them (fans and team). They stood behind me. I always dreamt of winning this with them.”

Virat also compared his IPL win with the trophies he won with the Indian team, and said, “This is far more special than winning it with anyone else.”