Virat Kohli dedicated Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 17 seasons to his former teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle and said the duo had given their heart and soul to make the franchise a success.

Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by six runs in the final in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Tuesday, a long-awaited title win which reduced 36-year-old Kohli to tears.

Kohli has been with the franchise since the inaugural 2008 edition of the league and helped them reach three previous finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016, losing all three.

Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter De Villiers played for Bengaluru from 2011-2021 while ex-West Indies all-rounder Gayle represented them from 2011 to 2017, with both experiencing the heartache of lost finals beside Kohli.

“I’ve shared my prime years with them and I know how much we tried to win this and we felt we were so close couple of times,” Kohli told broadcasters.

“We were such a good team and we had that explosiveness in our team but we could never cross the line and all of us have that hurt because we gave our prime years to this franchise and we really, really — from the bottom of our hearts — wanted to win that title for RCB.

“I promise you this feels like 10 times more special just because of the fact that these two are standing next to us.”

De Villiers and Gayle joined the Bengaluru team on the podium to raise the trophy.

“The title is honestly as much theirs as it’s mine because it’s the connection you see when they come to Bengaluru,” Kohli said.

“When they come you see how people love them and they go absolutely berserk because they know and they appreciate that they’ve given their heart and soul for this team ...”