RCB reigns again: He brought the trophy, she brought the smile

Last year, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Virat Kohli’s celebration carried the weight of everything Royal Challengers Bengaluru had waited for. He sunk to the ground, holding back tears, as RCB finally ended their long wait for a maiden IPL trophy. On Sunday, the emotion changed. No tears, not visible overwhelm, just the quiet satisfaction of a thorough professional getting the job done. Nineteen years of IPL campaigns, years of near-misses, heartbreaks and a curse that broke last season. And now, in 2026, RCB did it again: back-to-back titles, with Kohli smashing an unbeaten 75 to seal a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans. There are sporting images that outlast the scorecard. This was one of them.

After RCB retained the IPL crown, Kohli was caught on camera celebrating with Anushka during the team’s post-match festivities. The video went viral within minutes. “He brought home the trophy. She brought the smile,” one fan wrote on X. Another called it proof that RCB is “more than just a team; it’s one big family.” It was a heartwarming image.





But for anyone who has followed the public narrative around Anushka’s place in Kohli’s cricketing life, it was also something more: a full-circle moment, years in the making. For a long time, her presence in the stands invited trolling rather than celebration. Through all of it, Kohli never wavered, defending her publicly and crediting her for standing by him through his toughest phases.

When he ended a long century drought in 2022, he said, “You see me standing here like this right now because of one person who stood by me through all these difficult times, that’s Anushka.” On Sunday, as he danced in a T-shirt that read, “One felt nice, we did it twice,” the message felt complete without another word.

That is what the 2026 image quietly carries. Not because Anushka needs vindication, or because a partner’s role in an athlete’s success must be publicly tallied. But because the same public space that once questioned her presence is now celebrating her beside the trophy.

Kohli has often spoken of the sacrifices, backing and quiet steadiness she has brought to his life. This time, the image said it without a word: the trophy was RCB’s, the innings was Kohli’s, but the smile, fully, belonged to both.– Arushi Jain