2025: The year of many firsts in sporting world

New Delhi: The year 2025 will be remembered as one that changed the sporting history. The long waits ended, and history was created across sports. From cricket to football, the fans witnessed something extraordinary, celebrating victories, belief and patience.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted their maiden IPL title, and Jharkhand won their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). The biggest moment on the world stage came when the Indian women's cricket team clinched their maiden ODI World Cup. Lando Norris also won his first-ever Formula 1 world championship in the final race of 2025. Tottenham Hotspur also lifted their first European Trophy since their 1984 UEFA Cup success, and Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) also won their maiden Champions League trophy.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the thrilling IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After being invited to bat first, RCB scored 190 runs in the 20 overs. They got off to a poor start as Kyle Jamieson removed Phil Salt for 16 runs in the second over.

But Kohli stayed focused at the other end and forged crucial partnerships with Mayank Agarwal (24), Rajat Patidar (26), and Lian Livingstone (25), who also chipped in with important contributions. Kohli scored 43 runs off 35 balls, while Romario Shepherd and Jitesh Sharma gave a stunning finish as RCB posted a competitive target for the PBKS.

Chasing the target, the PBKS opener got off to a great start, but RCB bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals. Krunal Pandya removed dangerous-looking Josh Inglis for 39 runs, and Shepherd removed Shreyas Iyer for 1 run. The asking rate kept climbing, and wickets also kept falling. Shashank played a brilliant knock to keep PBKS in the match, but Hazlewood and Yash Dayal closed the game to help RCB win their first-ever IPL title in 18 years.

After the last ball of the match, Kohli went down on his knees and covered his face with his hands as players ran towards him to celebrate. Former RCB players AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle also joined the celebrations and hugged the Indian legend.

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In what was a brilliant story of redemption and determination, the Indian women's cricket team ended a long-standing wait by clinching their maiden ODI World Cup title. The Women in Blue defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai to lift the historic title.

After winning the opening two matches of the tournament, Harmanpreet and Co. lost three consecutive games against South Africa, England and Australia. At one point, it looked like the Women in Blue would not make it to the knockout stage of the ODI World Cup, but they showed great resilience and defeated New Zealand to book a spot in the semi-finals.

They beat seven-time world champions Australia by 5 wickets to qualify for the finals. Batting first, the Aussies scored 338 runs in 49.5 overs with Phoebe Litchfield notching up a century, while Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner also scored fifties.

Chasing the target, India lost both openers in the power play, but Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur forged a 167-run partnership for the third wicket. The Indian skipper scored 89 runs off 88 balls, while Rodrigues notched up an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls to help India advance to the final.

In the summit clash, the Women in Blue posted a target of 298 runs after being asked to bat first. Shafali Verma scored 87 runs off 78 balls, and Deepti Sharma also scored a brilliant fifty. Chasing the target, the Proteas women got off to a good start but lost two quick wickets.

Skipper Wolvaardt played fighting knock, scoring 101 runs off 98 balls, but other batters failed to make any contribution as the visitors were bowled out for 246 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur took a stunning catch at extra cover as the crowd at DY Patil Stadium erupted in celebrations.

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester 1-0 in the Europa League final in Bilbao. It was their first trophy since the 2008 League Cup and their first European silverware since their 1984 UEFA Cup success. Brennan Johnson netted the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute through a cross from Pape Sarr.

Rasmus Hojlund had a terrific chance to score the equaliser with a header midway through the second half, but Spurs' Micky van de Ven made a stunning clearance off the line. The Red Devils again came close to equalising, but Shaw's header was saved by Guglielmo Vicario, who had earlier denied an Alejandro Garnacho stunning strike from the edge of the box.

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Chelsea stunned the tournament's favourite Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 3-0 to lift the maiden FIFA Club World Cup title in New Jersey. For the first time in history, the tournament featured 32 clubs in the same format used in the FIFA World Cup.

Cole Palmer scored the opening goal of the match in the 22nd minute and doubled his tally in the 30th minute. PSG looked threatening for a while but failed to breach the Chelsea defence. Joao Pedro netted the third goal of the match in the 43rd minute. PSG created many opportunities in the second half but failed to score as Chelsea won their first-ever FIFA Club World Cup title.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 at Munich's Allianz Arena to lift their first-ever UEFA Champions League title. The French club also completed a treble after winning the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France trophies in the 2024-25 season. With the UCL victory, PSG manager Luis Enrique won the second treble in his managerial career after winning his first with Barcelona in the 2014-15 season.

Lando Norris won his maiden Formula 1 world championship in the final race of 2025. The 26-year-old McLaren racer finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri of McLaren in the standings.

All three racers entered the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a chance of becoming the world champion, but Norris knew he just needed a podium finish to clinch the title. The 26-year-old kept his composure throughout the race and finished third, behind Verstappen and Piastri.

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India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra delivered a sensational performance at the Doha Diamond League and finished in the second position with a massive throw of 90.23 meters, which was his first-ever mark beyond the 90-metre barrier.

Germany's Julian Weber finished in the top spot with an impressive throw of 91.06 metres. It was a magical night for Chopra as he achieved something that fans and pundits have been waiting for years, breaking the 90-metre barrier in javelin throw.

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Jharkhand secured its maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title with a 69-run victory against Haryana at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Jharkhand already had one hand on the trophy after their batters piled up a commanding 262 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan slammed 101 runs off 49 balls, while Kushagra also scored 81 runs off 38 balls.

Chasing the target, Haryana bowled out for 193 runs in 18.3 overs. Sushant Mishra and Bal Krishan picked three wickets each, while Anukul Roy and Vikash Singh took two wickets each as Jharkhand won their first-ever SMAT title.