Indian cricket star Virat Kohli was visibly emotional as he witnessed Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinch their maiden IPL title on Tuesday in Ahmedabad, beating Punjab Kings by 6 runs in the final. The RCB’s victory marked a significant milestone as they won the IPL title in their 18th attempt.

“This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team. It's been 18 long years. I've given this team my youth, my prime and my experience. I've tried to win this every season when I come, and I give it everything I have. To have this moment is an unbelievable feeling," Kohli said after the game.

"I never thought this day would come. I was overcome with emotion as soon as the last ball was bowled. This means so much to me. I've given each and every ounce of my energy to this team. To have finally won the IPL is an amazing feeling."

“It’s right up there. I’ve given everything I've had for the last 18 years; I've stayed loyal to this team no matter what. I've had moments where I thought otherwise, but I stuck to this team. I stood behind them, they stood behind me. I've always dreamt of winning it with them."

Since the start of the IPL, Kohli has been playing for RCB. They finished runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016, but finally claimed the title. Kohli said this win was ‘far more special’.

"This is far more special than winning it with anyone else, because my heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore. As I said, this is the team I'm going to play for till the last day I play the IPL. So, this one is absolutely right up there."

"As sportsmen we grind for something, and this is a very high-intensity, high-quality tournament which is of great value in world cricket today. And I'm someone that wants to win the big tournaments, the big moments, this one was missing and tonight I'm going to sleep like a baby."