RCB trump Punjab Kings to lift IPL trophy

The long wait finally ended for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they lifted the Indian Premier League (IPL) title for the first time by recording a six-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad this evening.

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The road to the title was never easy for the RCB, but their performance enabled them to remain unbeaten against the same opponents for the third consecutive time today this season. Despite posting a 191-run target, the RCB managed to win the title in a battle which went till the last ball of the IPL final.

The PBKS will have to wait for another year in the hope of getting their name etched on the IPL’s trophy plaque.

It was never a tough target on a track which has witnessed some big totals. Also, given the batting depth and strength, the PBKS had half won the battle after they restricted the title winners to 190. The newly revamped PBKS — full with new players, a new coach and high enthusiasm — started good with uncapped Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. Having 43 in five overs was a fair start, until Arya (24 off 19) was there. Once the attacking batter was back to the pavilion, trouble started for the PBKS as the batters failed to match the asking run rate. As skipper Shreyas Iyer failed to shine, it was Josh Inglis (39 off 23 balls) who kept the PBKS hopes alive in the match. Later, Shashank Singh (61 off 30) did produce some good innings, but it was too late to fill the gap raised in the middle overs.

On the other hand, Krunal Pandya (2 for 17) remained the main performer as the RCB successfully defended the total. It was a heartbreaking loss for the PBKS, who were playing only their second final, the first since 2014, while the RCB finally got to lift the trophy after finishing runners-up on three occasions earlier.

Getting the RCB all out below the 200-mark, that too in the IPL final, was the least expected, especially in the presence of the likes of Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Liam Livingstone and not to forget Romario Shepherd. Salt and Kohli started off well for the hot favourites, but the slowing down in the powerplay unexpectedly shook the foundation of the RCB innings. Only 42 runs were scored between the sixth and the 11th over, with Phil Salt (16) getting caught by PBKS skipper at mid-on. Salt’s early exit had a major impact on the RCB innings as Mayank Agarawal (24) and Rajat Patidar (26) also failed to perform at their best in this big show platform. As all eyes were on Kohli, even his innings lacked the usual fireworks. He stayed for long on the crease but only to strike three boundaries. His 43 off 35 balls at 122.85 was ended in the 15th over.

Some action, rather magic, came for the RCB innings when Jitesh Sharma (24 off 10 balls) played a small cameo, which turned out to be the most entertaining for the spectators. The shot of the evening came in the 17th over, when Sharma literally defied physics as he scooped (lap shot) Jamieson behind the wickets for a maximum.

The Punjab attack mainly revolved around Jamieson as he made a huge impact by finding the right length and variation to keep a lid on the RCB batters. He accounted for three key batters — Salt, Patidar and the dangerous-looking Livingstone. While he looked off colour in the first three overs, giving away 37 runs, Arshdeep Singh bounced back strongly in the final over of the innings to strike thrice. The Mohali pacer accounted for Krunal Pandya (4), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1) and Shepherd (17), who had threatened to take the score past 200 having already hit a six and a four.

Kohli surely has a connection with the number “18”. While the number marks the tragic loss of his father, Prem Kohli, who passed away from a heart attack on December 18, 2006, he got his first jersey number “18” while making his U-19 Indian team debut. Today, he finally got hold of the IPL trophy in the 18th edition of India’s showpiece event. With just two balls left in the final, Kohli had tears in his eyes — knowing the trophy which had eluded him for long would be in his hands tonight.