It has been a night for the record books in Ahmedabad, and the ripples have gone well past the IPL. Australia’s No. 2, Richard Marles, has been touting the RCB star as someone with a lot of pull down here in Australia, and he’s used this title to put a light on the India-Australia relationship. The upshot is that for him, cricket is about identity as much as it is a show.
Marles sees some diplomacy in it
At the Manobal event on Monday, Marles made it plain: “Virat Kohli is a huge name in Australia at the moment.” He talked about the batter’s presence and how it doesn’t stop at the border. Then he made a connection to RCB’s run to the top, and the kind of performance we saw in the decider.
He didn’t mince words when he pointed out that Kohli was 75 not out and the man of the match in the 2026 final. To Marles, that was the headline act in a larger tale of working together.
A knock that changed the story
RCB made it their day on Sunday in Ahmedabad, putting away the Gujarat Titans. It was all down to Kohli’s 75* from 42 – the sort of innings that takes a final in its hand and makes a statement you can feel in the room.
With it, RCB have a second title and some of the old swagger back for a team we’ve come to know for just missing out. As for Kohli, it was the ultimate form of proof on home turf.
The India-Australia angle
There was a bilateral flavour to the win, Marles would have you believe. You had Josh Hazlewood and Tim David in the mix with Kohli, and he put forward that as a case in point for how our sports worlds are one and the same.
This isn’t an isolated thing, he says. Remember being in India the morning after last year’s final? “There was very much an Australian-Indian theme at play last night,” he said of the RCB victory.
From then to now
If you put it in context, Marles has a soft spot for the likes of Kapil Dev – a pleasure to be in his company. He even goes back to Bishan Bedi for his first recollections of Indian captains. It’s a way of showing how long Indian cricket has been on the radar in Australia.
But the bottom line is the consistency of it. We’re in a good place with India, and cricket is part of why.
Kohli’s appeal on the other side of the Tasman
Sure, he’s a big draw in Australia because of the years of must-see matches, but there’s a diplomatic note in Marles’ words. In toasting the RCB talisman and giving a nod to the Australians like Hazlewood and David, he made it about respect.
It was a way of saying we have things in common, whether it’s in the stands or in the world at large, and cricket is where we meet.
Some of the key points from the final and from Marles:
– A 75* off 42 from Kohli to seal the deal
– RCB have the upper hand on the Titans in Ahmedabad
– Some solid input from the Aussies, Hazlewood and David
– Ties with India are as strong as they’ve been
More than a sideshow
In Marles’ telling, the IPL final is something you can take a bit more seriously. With the Australians involved, he’d make the case that sport is as much about getting along as it is about the contest. Kohli’s evening was a case in point.
For the rest of us, it’s a simple enough idea: the game we follow has a way of speaking for itself. For the suits, it’s a reminder that a bat can build a bridge quicker than anything else.
Looking ahead
I expect we’ll be hearing more of this talk of having a win in common. Marles has set a tone for what’s to come, one where you can have your fierce rivalry and still be on the same page.
Between the way Kohli played and the fact the Australians were there, you have a story that won’t be done with after one bright Sunday.
