'Virat Kohli waited only 18 years. Tendulkar's wait was even longer': Sehwag draws 2011 WC parallel with RCB's IPL title

Virat Kohli's long wait for an IPL trophy ended on Tuesday night when he lifted the title after Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated the Punjab Kings by six runs. The RCB star, who is the only player to have represented only one franchise since the inception of the league in 2008, faced three defeats in the final before eventually ending the trophy drought in Ahmedabad. Kohli was also the highest scorer in RCB's innings in the final with 43 off 35 deliveries, and even as it wasn't the most flamboyant knock, his stay helped RCB reach a strong score of 190/9 in 20 overs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli reacts while sitting beside the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 final cricket match against Punjab Kings (AFP)

Following RCB's win, former India opener Virender Sehwag, who has shared the dressing room with Kohli in Team India and Delhi, lauded the RCB star, while also drawing an interesting parallel with Sachin Tendulkar. When asked about the “wait” that Kohli had to endure for a trophy, Sehwag cited that Tendulkar's wait for an ODI World Cup trophy was even longer, and still, he never lost hope.

“His (Kohli) wait to win the trophy for only 12 years. Sachin Tendulkar waited from 1989 till 2011. So, Kohli's wait for lesser, and still even Sachin never lost hope. He had made up his mind, he would only bow out with a World Cup trophy in his hand,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

Sehwag added that Kohli can be “relieved” and retire without regrets, whenever he makes the decision.

“It's the same for Virat Kohli. Now, he can be relieved. He can happily stop playing IPL whenever he wants to make that decision. A player plays to win the trophy. Money comes and goes, but winning trophies isn't easy. And even as Kohli's wait ended, he has still made a very strong contribution in their campaign,” added the former opener.

Kohli's campaign

Kohli ended the 2025 season with 657 runs to his name in 15 matches, finishing as the season's third-highest run-scorer. He averaged 54.75 while scoring with a strike rate of 144.71. He smashed eight half-centuries in the season.

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