DRS, June 4: RCB wins IPL, Kohli joins Dhoni, Williamson denies contract & KL Rahul reaches England

Published 2 days ago• 3 minute read

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are Indian Premier League (IPL) champions at last. And such was the moment that Virat Kohli couldn’t control his emotions. The former RCB captain has also joined MS Dhoni’s company in an elite record.

In non-IPL news, KL Rahul will soon join the India A squad after landing in England. Kane Williamson has denied a central contract and Cricket Australia (CA) is in talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding Indian cricketers’ participation in the Big Bash League (BBL).

18 years later, RCB has finally won the IPL. The Holy Trinity is broken as RCB becomes the 8th team to win an IPL trophy. In a hard-fought final against Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings, it was Rajat Patidar’s team that emerged victorious by 6 runs in Ahmedabad.

Virat Kohli now has all the trophies that matter in Indian cricket in his cabinet. He had already won ICC titles (ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy). And at last, he has an IPL title as well. Only MS Dhoni had achieved that. Well, not anymore. It’s Kohli and Dhoni from now on.

KL Rahul left India for England on the morning of June 3 and would have reached his destination by now. The wicketkeeper batter wasn’t originally included in the India A squad for the England Lions tour. But since his IPL team, Delhi Capitals, was knocked out early, Rahul decided to get some red-ball practice before the Test series.

After 18 years of waiting, Kohli finally won the IPL. And the moment saw him going down on the ground and crying in delight. Emotions got the best of Kohli with his former RCB teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle also by his side. He also wept after embracing his wife, Anushka Sharma, after winning.

CA wants Virat Kohli to play in the BBL 2025-25 season. CA CEO Todd Greenberg says that they are in conversation with the BCCI regarding allowing “Indian cricketers, either retired, recently retired, or current players” to play in the BBL. He understands it may not happen right now but hopes the BCCI agrees sooner rather than later.

Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, and Lockie Ferguson don’t want to be included in New Zealand Cricket (NZC) central contracts for 2025-26. Closer to the end of their careers, the trio want to pursue franchise opportunities but unlike Trent Boult, they will be available for selection.