Kohli fulfils dream with title-winning stroke as Bengaluru retain IPL title

AHMEDABAD: Virat Kohli ‌fulfilled a long-held dream after he lofted the ball for a six to seal a memorable victory ​as Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained their Indian Premier League title on Sunday.
Kohli cut a composed figure after Bengaluru’s five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, a contrast to the teary, raw emotion he showed when the team ended a 17-season title ‌drought last ‌year.
The 37-year-old smashed an unbeaten ​75 ‌off ⁠42 ​balls, sealing ⁠the chase with a six as the crowd roared his name.
“I’ve thought of this moment many times… to be standing there hitting the winning runs.

It’s a dream day for us,” Kohli said.
Kohli, who has been with ⁠the franchise since the inaugural 2008 ‌season and led them ‌for nine years, said winning ​successive titles carried added ‌significance to the team’s entire journey where ‌they lost in three finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
The India batter, who now features only in one-day internationals, also underlined his continued evolution in ‌Twenty20 cricket.
He finished as Bengaluru’s leading scorer this season with 675 runs and ⁠recorded ⁠his fastest IPL fifty, taking his overall tally to 68 half-centuries and nine hundreds.
“I just take a lot of pride in getting better and just trying to figure out areas where I can improve,” he said.
Kohli, who has scored 9,336 runs in the league — the most in IPL history — said adapting to the demands of modern T20 cricket, driven ​by a new ​generation of aggressive batters, had been key to sustaining success.