Eighteen years. Let that register. Eighteen years of "ee sala cup namde" songs, of thinking this would be our year, to see hope disintegrate in finals and playoffs. But not this year. This year, the red and gold finally got their day.

My Heart Nearly Gave Out Watching This Final

Imagine this: you're seated in the Narendra Modi Stadium with 130,000 howling fans around you, and the situation reduces to 7 runs from the last over for Punjab Kings. Having witnessed RCB throw defeat from the brink of victory more times than I would like to count, I really did think to myself, "Here we go again." But something was different this time around. Perhaps it was the fact that the RCB team played it cool under pressure, or perhaps destiny just decided to smile at the red army at long last. Six runs. That's all that made the difference between RCB and glory and Punjab and their maiden title. Six paltry runs that seemed like the burden of 18 years of collective gasps, broken dreams, and "next year will be our year" guarantees. You know what got me the most? Seeing spectators cry in the stands. These weren't tears of joy. They were tears of vindication, of finally getting their reward for blind faith after season upon season of letdown. Cricket can be cruelly beautiful in that fashion.

 

The Classic RCB Rollercoaster Ride to Glory

True to character, RCB did not make it easy for themselves or for their fans. They edged into the playoffs by beating Lucknow Super Giants in their last league game – naturally! This is RCB we're dealing with; they've never encountered a straightforward route to victory that they did not want to complicate.

After that LSG game, thoughts were along the lines of: "Typical RCB, giving us hope and heart attacks in equal measure." Unbeknownst to me, this risk-taking tendency would work in their favor when the stakes were at their highest.

Each playoff game seemed like a mini miracle. With each win, there were murmurs of "could it be happening?" The nearer we reached the final, the harder it was for me to stop believing in the unthinkable. Perhaps that is what makes cricket so addictive. It teaches you to hope against hope when reason cries out otherwise.

Here's why this win is so special. It wasn't with the usual suspects. We've had RCB sides featuring Virat Kohli in his prime, AB de Villiers hitting impossible shots, and Chris Gayle tearing bowling attacks apart. Yet somehow, those star-studded sides could never cross the line.

This group? They're gritty, possibly not as glamorous, but they possess something those earlier teams didn't. The urgency of cricketers who realize this could be their sole opportunity for greatness. That's beautiful, isn't it? Sometimes the biggest names can't lead you to the promised land, but a batch of desperate cricketers playing with nothing to lose can perform miracles. That's what 18 years of blind love and belief sound like when it is finally vindicated.
 

The Morning After the Night Before

As I write this here, still reeling from last night's drama, all I can think of is all the RCB fans who are not present to see this happen. The grandfathers who passed on their passion for the red and gold to their kids. The groups of friends who made deals on what they'd do should RCB ever win the IPL.

This victory belongs to every fan who wore their RCB jersey to work the day after a playoff loss, knowing they'd face friendly banter from colleagues. It belongs to every supporter who kept believing when belief seemed foolish. It belongs to everyone who ever chanted "ee sala cup namde" with hope in their heart and tears in their eyes. But here's what I'm going to predict: this isn't the end of RCB's tale, this is just the start of a new one. 

Cricket has taught us fairy tales do not always have a fairy-tale ending. But sometimes they do. And if and when they do, the waiting makes the happiness all the more infinitely sweet. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are finally IPL champions, and honestly? It feels like the world is once again in equilibrium.

Here at LiveCricket, we breathe and live these moments with you. Because cricket is the thread that runs through our lives, connecting us to emotions, memories, and one another. Until the next match, keep passion alive!

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