Bengaluru beats Punjab to win its first IPL title as Virat Kohli 'overcome with emotion'

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Royal Challengers Bengaluru earned their first Indian Premier League title by beating Punjab Kings by six runs on Tuesday.

Bengaluru finished runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016, but finally won at the Narendra Modi Stadium — thanks largely to Krunal Pandya’s sensational spell of 2-17 in four overs.

Virat Kohli shed a tear as Bengaluru clinched victory to conclude the 18th season of the world's most popular T20 tournament.

“This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team. It has been 18 long years,” said Kohli, who has been associated with Bengaluru since the inaugural edition in 2008.

“I have given my youth, my prime. 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.”

Kohli top-scored for Bengaluru with 43 runs off 35 balls to help put up 190-9 in 20 overs. Punjab pacers Arshdeep Singh (3-40) and Kyle Jamieson (3-48) shared six wickets between them.

Punjab’s reply stuttered after a good start and despite a consolation half-century from Shashank Singh, it fell short and finished with 184-7 (20 overs).

Put into bat, Bengaluru lost Phil Salt for 16 runs. It slowed down Kohli, who only hit three fours in an uncharacteristic knock. The Indian batting star finished with 700 runs in 16 matches this season — third in the highest run-scorers’ list.

Kohli put on vital partnerships with Mayank Agarwal (24) and skipper Rajat Patidar (26) — their cameos kept the scorecard ticking along.

Azmatullah Omarzai got the vital wicket and sent Kohli back, while Jamieson picked his second by trapping Patidar lbw.

Jitesh Sharma then provided the acceleration — hitting two sixes and two fours to score 24 off 10 balls, while Liam Livingstone also hit two sixes in 25 off 15 balls.

From 131-4 in 14.5 overs, it was just enough to push Bengaluru past 190.

In reply, Punjab started well as Priyansh Arya (24) and Prabhsimran Singh (26) put on 43 off 30 balls.

Phil Salt took a smart catch hopping across the boundary to send back Arya and then Pandya struck after the powerplay.

First he sent back Prabhsimran, who was crawling despite a dropped catch earlier on.

The turning point came in the 10th over as Shreyas Iyer was caught behind for one off Romario Shepherd.

Josh Inglis scored 39 off 23 balls, including four sixes, but he holed out off Pandya in the 13th over in another body blow for the Kings’ chase.

Thereafter, it was an uphill task for Punjab as Bengaluru bowlers squeezed the run-rate.

Shashank Singh stayed put, scoring 61 not out off 30 balls, including six sixes but it only reduced the margin of victory.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli, center, reacts after their win in the Indian Premier League final cricket match against Punjab Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli reacts after their win in the Indian Premier League final cricket match against Punjab Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Bhuvneshwar Kumar, right, celebrates the wicket of Punjab Kings' Nehal Wadhera with Kunal Pandya during the Indian Premier League final cricket match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Romario Shepherd, left, and teammate Virat Kohli celebrate the dismissal of Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer during the Indian Premier League cricket final match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Romario Shepherd, left, and teammate Virat Kohli celebrate the dismissal of Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer, second right, during the Indian Premier League cricket final match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

MILAN (AP) — A guard at a construction site near a 2026 Winter Olympic venue in the mountain resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo died during a frigid overnight shift, authorities confirmed on Saturday.

Italy’s Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini called for a full investigation into the circumstances of the 55-year-old worker’s death.

Italian media reported that the death occurred on Thursday while the worker was on duty at a construction site near Cortina’s ice arena. Temperatures that night plunged to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Milan Cortina organizers said that the worker died of a heart attack.

“The information we have is that it was a death by natural cause, it was a heart attack. And we are investigating,” Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, told reporters at a test event at the new hockey arena in Milan.

“All the documentation that we have was in order. And we are waiting for the investigation to understand what the specific cause was. At the moment, the information we have from the emergency services is it was a death caused by natural causes ... while he was on site," Varnier said.

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 6-22.

The construction site was not one overseen by Simico, the governmental company responsible for Olympic infrastructure, the company said in a statement expressing its condolences.

Cortina city officials said they were “deeply saddened and troubled by the death.’’

Cortina will host curling, sliding and women’s Alpine skiing.

Andrea Varnier, CEO Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 talks to reporters at the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, in Milan, where Ice Hockey discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

FILE - People take photos in front of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics rings, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)