Is it reasonable to draw comparisons between Lionel Messi and Virat Kohli? Numerous Champions League wins, numerous Ballon d’Ors, numerous domestic league victories, and even a continental victory with Argentina were among the numerous important football trophies that the Argentine won at the club and individual levels. However, until the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the tournament remained the elusive trophy for many years.
Although it showed a sort of reverse vacuum, Kohli’s situation was comparable. Numerous Asia Cups, the ICC Test Mace (for three years in a row), the ODI World Cup in 2011, the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2008, the Champions Trophies in 2013 and 2025, and the T20 World Cup in 2024 were also victories for him. However, he was still unable to win one trophy: the IPL. Only until Tuesday night, that is. Just when Messi finished his legacy trip in 2022, that gap was also filled.
“For him it’s all about winning games for RCB,” said Mike Hesson, hailing Kohli for his passion, longevity, intensity and loyalty. Kohli is one of the four players active since the IPL’s inception in 2008 – MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey being the other three – and the only one to have stayed with the same franchise for all 18 seasons. Even Dhoni and Rohit do not have that distinction. The IPL glory is poetic justice.
“I for one am absolutely delighted for him. I don’t think anyone deserved it more for the amount he’s given and the dedication and the patience, I guess the patience and commitment to RCB to keep pushing to win that first title. So there was a real desire, hunger and genuineness about it. So yeah, I watched it from afar and egged on RCB. I’m as happy as anyone,” Hesson stated.
Few players are more worthy of the IPL honors than him. He has the most runs in the IPL (8661, which is more than 1500 runs more than the second-place batter), the most 500-plus runs (eight) in an IPL edition, the third-most IPL caps (267), 10 IPL play-off appearances, four final appearances, the most hundreds (eight), the most fifties (63), the maximum runs in a season (973 in 2016), and the most fours (771). Kohli’s run total now stands at 657, the third-highest of the season, following his 43 in the final against the Punjab Kings.
“Look, when I think about Virat, I talk about the intensity that he brings from a team perspective,” Hesson, who worked with Kohli for three years at RCB as coach, remarked. “And that to me, along with the fact he’s had five seasons of 600-plus runs… they dictate the outcome of the games.”
One of Kohli’s most remarkable qualities is his development; from Season 1 in 2008 to Season 18 in 2025, he remained relevant to the league despite the fact that cricket, particularly T20 cricket, was evolving. “He has changed as the game has. He hasn’t lost sight of the reality that the game’s tempo has changed and that scores are now higher. He has just pushed himself, and as a result, he has improved, and strike rates have increased.
Every new generation of batsmen is known to outperform their predecessors; for example, Dhoni and Rohit outperform Sachin, Jaiswal outperforms Rohit, and currently, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre outperform Jaiswal. Kohli continued to develop, defy expectations, and remain important to the team’s cause even as the younger generations began to take over. Over the past two seasons, his strike rate has surpassed his career strike rate.
Former India fielding coach R Sridhar, who has worked with him for eight years, compares him like an avalanche. “Virat’s enthusiasm, perseverance, and unrelenting intensity are what most impress me. He still has the same intensity, influence, and unwavering dedication that characterized his rookie season, even after eighteen years. Comparing him to others who have been around since the beginning, his intensity becomes even more apparent—it hasn’t diminished. Furthermore, Virat’s impact goes well beyond RCB. His commitment to discipline and fitness has motivated teammates to follow in his footsteps. He begins little but soon grows into a powerful force, much like an avalanche.
Virat Kohli has never held back when discussing the heartache of 2016. He recently focused on the season’s two setbacks: losing to SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL final and to the West Indies in the T20 World Cup semifinal. He added, “It took me a few days to get over the WT20 loss, because I was in such a position that I thought I could do it for India,” recalling how everything was prepared for their IPL festivities at the time.
“Yes, I understand why 2016 still stings for him. We needed just 69 runs from 44 balls with nine wickets in hand with Kohli still batting. Everything was in place – a theme party had been arranged, a victory caravan was lined up, fan celebrations were planned. And then, suddenly, it all slipped away. We had Virat, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, KL Rahul. That was a golden opportunity,” Bharat Arun, a former India bowling coach who was part of the RCB support staff that season recalled.
“I’m certain he’s spoken in the dressing room, maybe even in the pre-match huddle. With 18 seasons under his belt – remarkably, all with the same franchise – he brings unparalleled continuity and experience,” Arun continued. “Is he desperate? I’m not so sure. After all, he’s already won everything else there is. An IPL trophy would be the icing on the cake – not just for him, but for the loyal RCB fans who’ve stood by him all these years.”
Sanjay Bangar, who has collaborated with Kohli in various capacities for about a decade, had the same opinion. “Perhaps there was more yearning than despair. An IPL trophy is unavoidable for someone who has achieved the pinnacles of international cricket and won five ICC crowns. World Cups and Champions Trophies are held on international stages, whereas the Indian Premier League is a domestic competition. I wouldn’t say he was desperate, even if the IPL championship is the one significant trophy lacking from his cabinet. He undoubtedly had a strong desire to win the IPL and gave the team and the RCB supporters his all for the 18 seasons.
Thus, Kohli’s wait is at last over. In many respects, the 18th season of the Indian Premier League was an amazing show. The image that will stick in people’s minds the most will be of Kohli’s tears falling down his cheeks.