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Virat Kohli said it was “as much for the fans” after he finally won the IPL at his 18th attempt, with Bengaluru’s ecstatic supporters preparing to welcome home their heroes.Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by six runs in a roller-coaster IPL final Tuesday in Ahmedabad in front of more than 91,000 fans, who erupted in joy when Kohli lifted the trophy at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.The 36-year-old Kohli, the only man to have played all 18 years for the same IPL team since its inaugural season in 2008, fittingly top-scored with 43 to anchor Bengaluru to victory.Kohli, who captained Bengaluru in 143 matches between 2011 and 2023, had been on the losing side in three previous IPL finals. Later Wednesday he will celebrate with his teammates at the main stadium in the southern city of Bengaluru. Police said that initial plans for an open-top bus parade would not take place in Bengaluru’s notoriously bad traffic.”I said it straight away — this title is as much for the fans as it is for us,” said Kohli. “These people have backed us relentlessly for 18 years.”We’ve had horrible seasons and great ones too, but they turned up for every game in Bengaluru.”I’ve never seen loyalty like that. That’s what made me stay.”India cricket great Sachin Tendulkar led the tributes for Kohli and Bengaluru.”Congratulations on their first-ever IPL title. Fitting that jersey no. 18 lifts the trophy in the 18th edition,” Tendulkar posted on X.Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower said: “Virat in his 18th year of competing in the IPL, I think that makes it really special for everyone involved. “I am really happy for him and really proud of the way that he’s driven the side forward.”- ‘Monkey off the back’ -The tech city of Bengaluru erupted in midnight celebrations after RCB, who scored 190-9, restricted Punjab to 184-7.Thousands of fans wore Kohli’s number 18 shirt and danced in the streets as fireworks lit up the sky.”It’s not an easy tournament to win,” Punjab head coach Ricky Ponting said. “You have to think long and hard about that, think how many good teams they have had over the years. “You can see what it meant to (Kohli), his wife and all the RCB fans to finally get the monkey off the back and win an IPL title.”Former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden said on broadcaster JioHotstar: “The IPL 2025 will be forever etched in the annals of cricket  — not just for Virat Kohli, but for the RCB fans who stood by them through thick and thin.”It shows how consistency and belief can finally lead to a title. Over the past five years they’ve always been close, and now they’ve crossed the line.”  

Virat Kohli and his Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL for the first time with a thrilling six-run triumph over Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad.AFP Sport highlights five talking points from the 18th edition of the tournament:- Kohli finally champion -Two-time World Cup winner Kohli had done it all in an incredible career but an IPL crown eluded the batting great until Tuesday.He cried, laughed and then lifted the glittering gold trophy for his first IPL title — in his 18th year in the league and with the number 18 on his back.Kohli top-scored with 43 in his team’s 190-9 and the crowd of 91,000 erupted when victory was secured.Affectionately called “King Kohli”, he was again a key player for Bengaluru this season with 657 runs, including eight half-centuries, in 15 innings.An emotional Kohli, 36, said he gave his “youth and prime” for this moment.- Iyer leads by example -Shreyas Iyer led from the front to help Punjab Kings end the league stage top of the 10-team table and then played a major role in getting them to their second IPL final.The top-order batsman fully justified the faith of his team and head coach Ricky Ponting, who broke the bank for him at auction with a bid of $3.17 million.Iyer amassed 604 runs, playing key knocks including a sensational 87 not out in the win over Mumbai Indians to make the final.Iyer missed out on a Test spot for India’s tour of England but Ponting was all praise for his captain.”He has grown as a person, as a player and a leader,” said the Australian.- Teen makes world headlines -Rajasthan Royals’ 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi catapulted himself into the world cricket spotlight by belting his first ball fearlessly for six on his IPL debut.The youngest player ever to grace the IPL made headlines with 34 off 20 balls against Lucknow Super Giants, but it was just a taste of what was to come.Nine days later, Suryavanshi smashed the Gujarat Titans bowlers to all parts as he scored the second fastest hundred in tournament history.The teenager brought up his century off 35 balls with 11 sixes and seven fours to stand behind only West Indies great Chris Gayle, who took 30 balls to make a ton in 2013.The staggering power-hitting of left-hander Suryavanshi, who cost $130,500 as a 13-year-old at November’s auction, enabled Rajasthan to chase down their 210 target with more than four overs to spare.He rounded off a remarkable debut season with 57 against Chennai Super Kings in his final outing.- Record buy Pant flops -Lucknow splashed a record $3.21 million to secure Rishabh Pant as captain, but the India wicketkeeper-batsman appeared to buckle under the weight of his price tag.The usually swashbuckling ball striker failed to fire or inspire as Lucknow were eliminated from the playoff race with two matches to play.He belatedly found his touch in Lucknow’s final match, scoring 118 off 61 balls in another losing cause against Bengaluru.The knock raised his season average to an ordinary 24.45 from an abject 13.72 going into the match, and barely disguised his poor value for money after a return of 269 runs from 13 innings.- War stops play -The IPL was suspended on May 9, a day after the Punjab Kings-Delhi Capitals match in Dharamsala was abandoned while nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire across their border.Players left the field and crowds were hurried out of the ground as air raid warnings sounded in the city less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Jammu, where explosions had been reported hours earlier.Players and officials had to board a train to escape to New Delhi because local airspace had been closed.A ceasefire allowed a resumption on May 17, but Australia and Delhi’s Mitchell Starc, who had been caught up in the Dharamsala drama, decided not to return. The schedule was also thrown off, pushing back the final by nine days to June 3.

Batting great Virat Kohli  fulfilled an 18-year dream of winning an IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru after they beat Punjab Kings by six runs in Tuesday’s final in Ahmedabad.Kohli’s 43 from 35 balls at the top of the order set up Bengaluru for an imposing total of 190-9 which was one big blow too many for a Punjab side that battled until the end, finishing on 184-7.More than 91,000 fans packed into the 132,000-capacity stadium, a sea of Bengaluru’s red and Kohli’s jersey number 18 dominating the stands as chants of “Kohli, Kohli” rang out.They celebrated noisily when Kohli and RCB clinched victory for the first time in the 18 years of the IPL, their three previous finals having all ended in defeat. The 36-year-old Kohli, one of India’s all-time greats in all formats of the game, collapsed on the ground after the win and then got up to be hugged by his teammates as the crowd celebrated their hero.”This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team, it’s been 18 long years,” said Kohli.”I’ve given this team my youth, my prime, my experience. I gave it everything I have. “I never thought this day would come. I was overcome with emotion as soon as the last ball was bowled.”I have stayed loyal to this team, no matter what. My heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore and this is the team I’ll play for till the last day I play the IPL.”Punjab put up a feisty response to the Bengaluru total but faltered in their chase after left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya took 2-17 from his four overs.Shashank Singh hit a valiant 61 not out and finished with three sixes and a four off Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood who defended 29 runs in the final over.Hazlewood, who took 3-21 against Punjab in last week’s qualifier win after recovering from a shoulder injury, struck first to send back left-handed Priyansh Arya for 24 with Phil Salt taking a stunning catch at the ropes.Impact substitute Prabhsimran Singh was the next to go off Pandya but the Bengaluru crowd went wild when Romario Shepherd had skipper Shreyas Iyer caught behind for one.- ‘King Kohli’ -Pandya stuck again to cut short Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis’ stay on 39 and Bengaluru seized momentum and Shashank’s late blitz was not enough.”I am very proud of each and every individual who has participated in this team,” said Iyer.”There are a lot of youngsters who are playing their first season, they’ve shown a lot of fearlessness. We wouldn’t be here without them. Kudos to them.”Bengaluru had the perfect start as ‘King Kohli’ dug in. Far from his fluent best, he only struck three fours during his innings but in the end it turned out to be key.He lost opening partner Salt for 16 when New Zealand quick Kyle Jamieson struck in his first over to have the England batter caught in the deep off Iyer.Kohli, who was his team’s best batter this season with 657 runs including eight half-centuries, anchored the innings, sharing important partnerships with Mayank Agarwal, who made 24, and then skipper Rajat Patidar, who hit 26.But Punjab kept chipping away with wickets as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal got Agarwal and Jamieson trapped the captain lbw.Kohli’s vigil ended when he mistimed a rising delivery from Afghanistan pace bowler Azmatullah Omarzai for a caught and bowled, the disappointment etched across his face mirrored by his fans.Jamieson took his third wicket to cut short Liam Livingstone’s rampant 25 off 15 balls.Wickets kept tumbling as wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma fell for a 10-ball 24 and Romario Shepherd for 17 off nine balls.Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh took three wickets including Shepherd in the 20th over and gave away just three runs.The 18th edition of the world’s richest cricket league ended nine days late due to a pause caused by the military conflict between India and Pakistan.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted 190-9 against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League final on Tuesday after opening batsman Virat Kohli topscored with 43.Both the teams are hunting for their first title in the T20 tournament and thousands of Kohli fans filled the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, anticipating an IPL crown for their star batter.The 132,000-capacity stadium was nearly packed with a sea of Bengaluru’s red and Kohli’s jersey number 18 dominating the stands as chants of “Kohli, Kohli” rang out.Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and invited Bengaluru to bat first with the two teams unchanged from their previous victories.Known as “King Kohli” for his prolific run-scoring, the opener was not at his best in the knock, which came in 35 balls and included just three fours.He lost opening partner Phil Salt for 16 when New Zealand quick Kyle Jamieson struck in his first over to send the England batter out in the deep off a good catch by Iyer.Kohli attempted to anchor the innings and take the attack to the opposition with Mayank Agarwal, who made 24, and then skipper Rajat Patidar, who hit 26.But Punjab kept coming back with wickets as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal got Agarwal and Jamieson trapped the captain lbw.Kohli hung around for a bit but mistimed a rising delivery from Afghanistan pace bowler Azmatullah Omarzai for a caught and bowled. He looked nearly as disappointed as his fans.Jamieson took his third wicket to cut short Liam Livingstone’s knock of 25 off 15 balls.Wickets kept tumbling as wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma fell for a 10-ball 24 and Romario Shepherd for 17 off nine balls.Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh took three wickets including Shepherd in the 20th over and gave away just three runs.Bengaluru had defeated Punjab in the first playoff to book their fourth final. Punjab beat five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the last playoff to reach their second final and need 191 to win their first title.The 18th edition of the world’s richest cricket league is ending nine days late due to a pause because of the military conflict between India and Pakistan.

Nepal celebrated on Tuesday 75 years since the first ascent of Mount Annapurna, the 10th highest peak in the world, led by French climber Maurice Herzog.Herzog reached the 8,091-metre (26,545-foot) summit with his compatriot Louis Lachenal and Nepali guide Sonam Walung Sherpa, on June 3, 1950 without oxygen — causing a sensation around the world.It was also the first successful ascent of any mountain above 8,000 metres.About 200 people gathered at the base camp of Annapurna to commemorate the anniversary on Tuesday.They clapped as golden statues of all three climbers were unveiled and placed traditional scarves around their necks. “This is a historic event”, Him Bahadur Gurung, a local official of Annapurna Rural Municipality told AFP.”Maurice made Nepal renowned to the world by climbing Annapurna, at a time when people didn’t know… it could be an adventure”. Dozens also took part in a 42.5km (26.4 miles) marathon — downhill — from Annapurna Base camp.”We are thankful to Herzog for opening doors for tourists here who have helped develop our village,” said Radha Gurung, 40, a local resident.Herzog described his arrival at the summit as the most exquisite moment of his life.Annapurna is a dangerous and difficult climb, and the avalanche-prone Himalayan peak has a higher death rate than Everest.Since then, over 400 people have reached the top of Annapurna.On his return to France, Herzog was feted like a film star.Three years after their climb, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary stepped onto the top of Everest for the first time.Herzog died in France in 2012 aged 93.

Pakistan will play their matches at this year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka under an International Cricket Council deal that allows them to avoid playing in host nation India.The refusal of India to travel to Pakistan for the men’s Champions Trophy earlier this year resulted in the ICC introducing neutral venues to tournaments hosted by either of the neighbouring countries.Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan were last month involved in a four-day military conflict, their worst since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed.Sri Lanka’s Colombo will join Indian host cities Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore and Visakhapatnam in staging matches from September 30 until the final of the 50-over tournament on November 2, the ICC announced late on Monday. Colombo will be Pakistan’s home for seven group games.The first semi-final will take place in either Guwahati or Colombo, if Pakistan progress that far, on October 29 with the second semi-final a day later in Bengaluru.The final will be in either Bengaluru or Colombo on Sunday, November 2.”The venues for the knockouts are dependent on Pakistan qualifying”, the ICC said in a statement.”Two alternative venues have been identified for one semi-final and the final.”Eight teams will contest the World Cup — Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Australia beat England by 71 runs in the final of the last Women’s World Cup, hosted by New Zealand in 2022.

Bangladesh’s caretaker government launched a fresh bid on Monday to seek agreement between rival political parties on critical democratic reforms after a mass uprising last year.The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years.The National Consensus Commission is headed by Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held.”Let’s not miss this opportunity”, Yunus said in a speech at the opening as a second round of meetings began. “The remaining differences can be narrowed”.Last month the consensus commission said political parties had failed to reach agreement.Yunus has previously said he inherited a “completely broken down” system of public administration, and said it required a comprehensive overhaul to prevent a future return to authoritarian rule.He set up six commissions to do that work, overseen by the consensus commission, which he heads.On May 26, Ali Riaz, the commission’s vice president, said that despite marathon efforts — stretching over 45 sessions with 38 political parties and alliances — they had not reached a deal in the first round.Several political parties, especially the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have demanded an election date be set.Salahuddin Ahmed, a senior BNP leader, last week said there was growing impatience at the pace of progress made by the reform commission.”How many times do they want to stage the drama of reforms?” he said. “A first launch, followed by a second… This is nothing but dancing with bananas”.Contentious issues include whether a prime minister can serve more than two terms, and the process for selecting the president.Hasina’s rule saw widespread human rights abuses, and her government was accused of politicising courts and the civil service, as well as staging lopsided elections to dismantle democratic checks.Yunus has said polls could be held as early as December but that holding them later — with the deadline of June 2026 — would give the government more time for reform.

Punjab Kings stand in the way of Virat Kohli’s dream of finally winning the Indian Premier League in Tuesday’s final at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.No matter which team prevails at the 132,000-capacity venue in Ahmedabad it will be a first — neither Punjab nor Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won the IPL since it launched in 2008.Punjab booked their place in the decider with a five-wicket victory over five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Sunday.Shreyas Iyer played a captain’s knock with an unbeaten 87.Kohli and Bengaluru will have a psychological edge after thrashing Punjab by eight wickets at the start of the playoffs last week.It is the fourth time that Kohli and his team have reached the final of cricket’s richest tournament, but they have never been able to take that last step.The vast majority in attendance will be cheering on Kohli, the 36-year-old superstar batsman and icon to Indian cricket fans.Kohli, who last month retired from Test cricket alongside Rohit Sharma, has again been Bengaluru’s go-to batsman with 614 runs, including eight half-centuries, in 14 innings this season.He has made no attempt to hide his desperation to win the IPL at the 18th attempt and add it to a long list of accolades that includes two World Cup crowns.He has talked about his “heartbreak” of failing to win the IPL, and celebrated last week’s win against Punjab saying: “One more to go.”Asked if the Kohli factor was weighing on the finale, Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar said: “Of course”.”I think he has given a lot of years to RCB and the international side also,” Patidar told reporters on the eve of the final.”I think we will try to do our best in the game.”Punjab’s fast bowling coach James Hopes said his team will be “recovering and getting mentally prepared” for what he anticipates will be a “pretty big crowd, and a pretty big pro-Kohli crowd as well”.- Sensational Iyer -As well as Kohli, Bengaluru boast the significant threat of Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.The 34-year-old returned following a shoulder injury and a stint back home to put in a match-winning performance in the win over Punjab in the qualifier.He returned figures of 3-21 to help bundle Punjab out for 101.Hazlewood spearheads a seam-bowling attack alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and left-armer Yash Dayal.Punjab, coached by Australia great Ricky Ponting, recovered from defeat to win the rain-delayed second qualifier in Ahmedabad.Skipper Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last year and then cost Punjab $3.17 million in November’s auction, is narrowly behind Kohli in the batting charts with 603 runs from 16 innings.His latest chase masterclass off 41 balls, laced with five fours and eight sixes, is a reminder that he is lethal on his day.”When I back myself and back my instincts, I think that’s when I get the best out of myself,” said Iyer.”And also when other players revolve around you and keep performing, that also gives you a little bit of extra push to keep going.”Former Australia medium-pace bowler Hopes said Iyer “doesn’t get flustered very easily”.”He knows what he has to do and he’s prepared to take that risk,” said Hopes.”He is a sensational captain and a sensational player,” he added.Punjab openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh are in good form, and they have another potential match-winner in Australia’s Josh Inglis.All-rounders Marcus Stoinis from Australia and Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai can also threaten Kohli’s long-awaited dream.

Australia’s defence minister announced Monday the gifting of a naval patrol boat to the Maldives to “maintain regional security”, during a visit to the strategically-located Indian Ocean archipelago.Global east-west shipping lanes pass the nation’s chain of 1,192 tiny coral islands, stretching around 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator.Australia is part of the Quad grouping — alongside the United States, Japan and India — seen as a bolster against China’s growing presence in the wider Indian Ocean.”In line with our national defence strategy, Australia is working with partners across the Northeast Indian Ocean to maintain regional security and stability”, Richard Marles said in Male.”As Indian Ocean countries, Australia and the Maldives share a vision of our region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous,” Marles said in a statement following talks with his counterpart, Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon.The 39.5-metre long (129-foot) Guardian-class boat, a type of craft which Australia uses to patrol Pacific island nations, possesses a 3,000 nautical mile range, and can accommodate 23 people.The promised craft is under construction and would be ready by next year.Australia is also providing hydrographic equipment to help the Maldives map its ocean floor, to increase maritime safety and unlock economic development, Marles said.Better known as a luxury holiday destination with pristine white sand beaches and secluded resorts, the Maldives has also become a geopolitical hotspot.Neighbouring India and China have jostled for influence in Male, whose pro-Beijing president came to power in 2023 on a promise to evict dozens of Indian troops based there.But after initially frosty relations with New Delhi, President Mohamed Muizzu was given a red carpet welcome in October 2024 on a state visit to India, a trip which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said marked a “new chapter” to reset troubled ties.

A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from Thailand, Indian customs officials said.The snakes, which included 44 Indonesian pit vipers, were “concealed in checked-in baggage”, Mumbai Customs said in a statement late Sunday.”An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested,” it added.The passenger, details of whom were not released, also had three Spider-tailed horned vipers — which are venomous, but usually only target small prey such as birds — as well as five Asian leaf turtles.Mumbai Customs issued photographs of the seized snakes, including blue and yellow reptiles squirming in a bucket.The snakes are a relatively unusual seizure in Mumbai, with customs officers more regularly posting pictures of hauls of smuggled gold, cash, cannabis or pills of suspected cocaine swallowed by passengers.However, in February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were “ingeniously concealed” in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger’s trolley bag, customs officers said.In November, customs officers seized a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles, and a month before, four hornbill birds, all on planes arriving from Thailand.In September, two passengers were arrested with five juvenile caimans, a reptile in the alligator family.