Virat Kohli wears his heart on his sleeve, and on Thursday night at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, that passion erupted into raw emotion as Royal Challengers Bengaluru sealed their first home win of the IPL 2025 season.

With Rajasthan Royals needing 18 off the last two overs, the chances for an RCB comeback looked bleak. However, Josh Hazlewood's stunning performance with the ball - conceding only one run in the over while also picking two wickets - turned the tide in RCB's favour and Kohli, stationed near the boundary rope, roared, pumped fists, and stormed into the dugout to hug every teammate in sight.

Kohli's celebrations, triggered first by the wicket of Jofra Archer in the penultimate over and then again when Wanindu Hasaranga fell in the 20th, reflected the boiling intensity of the clash that swung wildly between the two teams throughout. For the Royals, the 11-run defeat all but ended the hopes of a playoff berth, as it was their seventh loss in nine games.

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Earlier, it was Kohli the batter who steadied RCB's innings after a nervy start. Despite a few early streaky boundaries, he grew into his fluent best, registering a confident 70 off 42 balls - his first fifty at home this season and fifth overall. Alongside Devdutt Padikkal, who contributed a brisk 50 off 27, Kohli stitched a 95-run stand for the second wicket, lifting RCB to a commanding 205 on a sluggish surface.

RCB's late flourish came from Jitesh Sharma and Tim David, whose calculated aggression ensured the home side crossed the 200-mark.

Chasing 206, Rajasthan Royals blazed off the blocks, with Yashasvi Jaiswal hammering 49 off just 19 balls. He tore into Hazlewood with five boundaries and a six, but the Aussie pacer had the last laugh, cramping Jaiswal for room and forcing a miscue to mid-wicket.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, RR's 14-year-old impact player, entertained briefly with two sixes before a knuckle ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar ended his cameo. While Dhruv Jurel (47) mounted a gritty resistance, RCB's bowling unit, led by Hazlewood's 4/33, tightened the noose. With the win, RCB have jumped above Mumbai Indians to the third spot on the table with six wins in nine matches. They will now take on Delhi Capitals in an away match on Sunday; RCB remain undefeated on the road this year, having clinched wins in all of their four away games so far.