Celebs congratulate Virat Kohli for IPL win

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 witnessed a momentous achievement as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) clinched their maiden IPL title, defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in a thrilling final on Wednesday.

This victory, after 18 long years, not only marked a historic moment for RCB but also sent emotional waves across the cricketing world, especially through the tinseltown, where several celebrities lauded the incredible achievement.

The victory was met with a flood of congratulatory messages from Bollywood, with stars such as Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Arjun Kapoor, Allu Arjun and Kartik Aaryan, among others, taking to social media to celebrate Virat Kohli's stellar performance and RCB's triumph.

Ajay Devgn shared a poster of RCB, exclaiming, "Been watching and cheering for years... finally RCB has made history. Congratulations @virat.kohli and the entire team @royalchallengers.bengaluru."

Ranveer Singh shared a photo of Kohli and AB de Villiers, calling it ‘everything’. He also posted a video of Kohli's emotional moment on the field and tagged him as a ‘One club player’.

Vicky Kaushal, on his Instagram Stories, shared a heartfelt tribute to Kohli, writing, "To the man who's given everything to the sport... this was long due! @virat.kohli #18," adding a red heart and trophy emoji.

Meanwhile, Kartik Aaryan couldn't hold back his excitement, posting a video of Kohli celebrating and writing, "Finally Jersey No 18. After 18 years. Congratulations, GOAT @virat.kohli."

The heart-warming reactions didn't stop there. South Indian superstar Allu Arjun shared a video of his son, Ayaan, getting emotional over RCB's victory. In the video, Ayaan is seen lying on the floor, visibly moved by the historic moment as Virat embraces his wife, Anushka Sharma, on the field.

Arjun captioned the post, "Ayaan getting super emotional. #viratkohli fan boy moment. Soo cute my chinni babu #alluayaan #rcb #ipl2025."

In another clip, Ayaan, who admitted to being a huge fan of Kohli, says, "I love Kohli," with his face glowing with excitement. Arjun responded, "Your face is glowing." Ayaan continued, "I like him so much. I got into cricket because of Kohli." In a post on X, Allu wrote, "The wait is over. Ee sala cup namde! At last! We've been waiting for this day for 18 years. A big, big congratulations to RCB!"

• ANI

Hugs and kisses

As RCB lifted the trophy, Virat Kohli was visibly overwhelmed with emotion. With tears in his eyes, he ran to the boundary ropes to embrace his wife Anushka Sharma, who had been watching the match from the stands. The couple shared a tender moment, with Anushka consoling her husband and giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Speaking to broadcasters after the historic win, Kohli said, "Watching us just miss out. What your life partner does for you to be able to play — the sacrifices, the commitment, and just backing you through thick and thin —  is something you can't explain in words.

"Only when you play professionally, do you understand the many things that go on behind the scenes and what they go through as well. What Anushka has gone through emotionally -- watching me being down and out, coming to games, being so connected with Bangalore (she's a Bangalore girl as well), and being connected to RCB -- this is very, very special for he as well, and she's going to be so, so proud. Thank you," he added.

Patriotic fervour  

Musician Shankar Mahadevan and his sons Shivam and Siddharth's musical performance at the IPL 2025 closing ceremony was a goosebump-inducing moment, evoking a spirit of patriotism among spectators as the trio honoured the Indian armed forces with their songs. From Suno Gaur Se Duniya Walo to Vande Mataram and Aye Watan, the trio paid a beautiful and musical tribute to the Indian armed forces.

Support from Sunak

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was present at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with his wife, Akshata Murty, to cheer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against Punjab Kings on Tuesday.

Sunak took to X and posted a selfie with his wife and captioned the post, "Let's go @RCBTweets."