As Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended their 17-year wait for an IPL title, it wasn’t just the players who broke down on the field. Thousands of kilometres away, Siddharth Mallya, son of former RCB owner Vijay Mallya, was on his knees in front of a screen, crying, cheering, and living every second of the moment that had eluded the franchise since 2008.
Sid Mallya, who now lives in the US and works as an actor and model, posted a video on his official Instagram handle capturing his raw reaction. As RCB inched closer to their six-run win over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final, Mallya was seen sitting on his knees, his hands raised in disbelief and joy. Seconds later, the emotions took over; he broke down in tears and wiped his face, overcome by what the victory meant.
“Finally. 18 years! Finally we get to see this,” he said in the clip, echoing the sentiment of countless RCB fans who have stayed loyal through heartbreak and ridicule.
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Lalit Modi, one of the founding members of the IPL, also reacted to RCB’s win, writing ‘congratulations’ on Mallya’s video.
It was a night filled with similar emotions. At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Virat Kohli too fell to his knees in tears after the final wicket. The longest-serving one-franchise player in IPL history had carried the hopes of the team for nearly two decades.
Earlier in the night, Vijay Mallya also shared his thoughts online, recalling how he had the “privilege” of picking Kohli at the 2008 auction. For the Mallyas, the victory brought closure to a journey they helped begin.
The RCB team, meanwhile, returns to Bengaluru on Wednesday following the victory, where they are expected to take part in a victory parade. Virat Kohli will now be away from action for over two months, having already retired from Test cricket. The Indian batter is likely to don the jersey next on August 17, when India take on Bangladesh in the first of three ODIs – the only international format Kohli remains active in.
