Virat Kohli has worn his heart on his sleeve for 17 years with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. On Tuesday night in Ahmedabad, after finally laying his hands on the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, he let those emotions pour out — raw, unfiltered and full of relief. While Kohli was in tears when RCb won the match, he was his unfiltered self during an interview with broadcasters Star Sports, as he let out his emotions.

Kohli addressed the critics and trolls that have surrounded RCB ever since the tournament's inception; one of the major running themes among fans on social media was RCB's title drought. They were one of the only three sides from the original roster in 2008 to have not won the IPL title; Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings are the ones left to taste the silverware.

“God is great. I'm in a space where the anchor has fallen and I'm just loose on excitement. I just want to sleep properly! I took a lot of stress, listened to a lot of things. RCB yeh, RCB vo. Bohot logon ne bohot troll kiya, bohot mazak banaaya (Lots of people trolled us, made fun of us)," Kohli told Jatin Sapru.

"But that made us stronger, closer as a team and as a franchise. The relationship between fans and us is strong. I will just sleep peacefully now,” Kohli said, shortly after RCB sealed a tense six-run win over Punjab Kings to win their maiden IPL title.

A gritty win

It wasn’t one of RCB’s flamboyant batting displays, they only managed 190/9 after being put in to bat. Kohli played the anchor role with a composed 43, top-scoring for the side in a stop-start innings where big partnerships eluded them. Jitesh Sharma struck a quickfire 24 and Liam Livingstone added 25, but the real lift came from a bowling attack that rose to the occasion under pressure.

Shashank Singh threatened to steal the title away with an unbeaten 61 off 30 balls, but RCB’s bowlers held firm. Krunal Pandya, named Player of the Match, dismissed three key batters, including the dangerous Josh Inglis. Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered the decisive blow in the penultimate over, removing both Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis.

For Kohli, who was seen crying on the field as the win neared, this was more than just a title. It was vindication. Years of heartbreak, ridicule and near-misses were replaced by a night of celebrations.