Ahmedabad: In a historic night for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Indian cricket, Krunal Pandya became the first player to win the Man of the Match award in two different IPL finals, while Virat Kohli surpassed Shikhar Dhawan to become the all-time leader in boundaries in the IPL.
In the IPL 2025 final played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, RCB edged past Punjab by 6 runs in a thrilling contest. Bengaluru posted 190/9, and Punjab responded with a close 184/7, falling short despite a strong chase.
Krunal Pandya was at the heart of RCB’s win, picking up 2 wickets for just 17 runs and taking a crucial catch. He dismissed Prabhsimran Singh (26) at a critical juncture and removed Josh Inglis (39), derailing Punjab’s momentum. His catch to send back Nehal Wadhera (15) further tightened RCB’s grip on the game.
This wasn’t Krunal’s first big-stage heroics. He previously earned the Man of the Match title in the 2017 IPL final while playing for Mumbai Indians, scoring a match-winning 47 runs against Rising Pune Supergiants.
Now, with four IPL finals and four titles to his name three with Mumbai and one with Bengaluru — Krunal Pandya boasts an unbeaten record on the biggest stage.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli added another feather to his already illustrious cap. With 771 fours in 259 innings, Kohli overtook Shikhar Dhawan’s 768 fours to become the leading boundary-hitter in IPL history. A pillar for RCB since the league’s inception, Kohli continues to set new standards in the tournament.