[WATCH] IPL 2025: Virat Kohli looks for AB de Villiers after RCB's victory, shares emotional hug

Virat Kohli was filled with emotions as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their first-ever Indian Premier League title after beating Punjab Kings in the grand finale on Tuesday, June 3. After securing a tight six-run win, Kohli was looking for his friend and ex-RCB teammate AB de Villiers, as the former wished to share an emotional hug with the South African international, who retired as one of the most iconic figures for the franchise.

In the jam-packed field in Motera as the players and match officials flocked the boundary lines after the win, de Villiers was not easily visible to Kohli, as he eagerly looked for his friend who was present at the venue for the special occasion. The moment Kohli's eyes spotted the former wicketkeeper-batter, he ran towards him and shared an emotional hug.

Watch the viral video of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers here

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Kohli searched for Abd ..they ran together and hugged like kids #RCBvsPBKS #CongratulationsRCB #Rcb #RCBvsPBKS #ViratKohli #ABdeVilliers #IPL2025 #IPLFinals

11:50 PM · Jun 03, 2025

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Kohli, who had tears rolling down his eyes as the triumph neared, had all the teammates centreing him as even they realised what it meant to him and the franchise, who have shared an 18-season-long association together ever since the inception of the marquee tournament. All the years, fans had been shouting the Ee Saala Cup Namde (This year, the cup will be ours) chants, which too, finally changed to Ee Saala Cup Namdu (This year, we have the cup), turning into a moment of joy and celebrations around the fan fraternity.

Speaking more about Kohli's 2025, he was as always excellent with the bat, scoring a staggering 657 runs from 15 games at 54.75, which turned out to be crucial in RCB's road to the finale. He also ended the tournament being the highest run-scorer for RCB in the finale, as his 43 off 35 balls set the tone for the side in the first innings, where they posted a total of 190 after losing nine wickets.