Bengaluru

The night of June 3 turned into a festival of lights after fans turned up in huge numbers to celebrate the beloved franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden IPL title success.

RCB earned a place in the history books after trouncing Punjab Kings in the final of the 18th season of the cash-rich league to bring the trophy home for the first time in 18 years.

Bengaluru chiselled out a flawless blueprint to lift the trophy after posting 190/9 on the board. The Royal Challengers bowlers hunted in packs, took wickets at regular intervals and conjured a six-run triumph to get their hands on the famed title.

Fans at the BGS Ground in Bengaluru danced in jubilation to celebrate the success of their beloved franchise. Kalaburagi's sky was covered in fireworks as the city erupted in joy and painted itself red.

"We literally waited for 18 years for this one Cup, and we won. This is not just a Cup for us," a fan told ANI after the victory.

"I am feeling very happy as we (RCB fans) have waited for 17 years to get this trophy," a young fan added after RCB's victory.

"I have been supporting RCB for 18 years, and I am a big fan of Virat Kohli. I cried every time when RCB didn't win. I am happy that Virat won, RCB won," another RCB fan added.

Karnataka police had to use mild force to disperse the cricket fans celebrating RCB's victory on the roads at SVP Chowk in Kalaburagi.

The euphoria around RCB's celebration wasn't just limited to Bengaluru. People celebrated Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden IPL title at Beach Road in Visakhapatnam by dancing and cheering in jubilation.

At Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, where RCB or Punjab Kings (PBKS) were set to be crowned new champions, fans were treated to a thrilling contest. RCB's bowling unit, both pace and spin, stepped up when it mattered most, compensating for a slightly underwhelming performance with the bat.

Among the most emotional sights of the night was Virat Kohli visibly struggling to contain his emotions in the closing moments of the match. Shielding his tears and raw feelings first with his hands, then with his cap. 

Virat Kohli, who brought delight to millions of people across the globe after playing his part in steering Royal Challengers Bengaluru to its maiden IPL trophy, gave fans another reason to smile after dedicating their historic title win to the two franchise stalwarts AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.

Gaye and de Vliiers watched the famous moment on the sidelines and celebrated the special success story with their former compatriot and long-time friend Virat.

After the destructive trio reunited, Virat, who struggled to hide away his emotions, reminisced about the good old days when they put in everything they had on the field in their prime years. In 2016, they came close but couldn't get past the finishing line.

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"I have spent my prime years with them. I know how much we tried to win this. We were so close a couple of times, and we were such a good team; we had the explosiveness in our team, but we could never cross the line. We gave our prime years to this franchise," Virat said while speaking to the broadcasters after the final.