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

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.

Source: The morning