“Ee Sala Cup Namde” — the iconic chant of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) — finally rang true after 17 long seasons. The Rajat Patidar-led RCB ended their IPL title drought with a 20-run victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where the majority of fans were backing the Bengaluru side. The standout performer in RCB’s triumph, especially with the ball in the second innings, was Krunal Pandya. The spin-bowling all-rounder delivered a superb four-over spell, conceding just 17 runs and claiming two crucial wickets.
Although RCB were probably short by a few runs with the bat, the bowlers ensured that the total was enough for them to secure the win. PBKS started well, with the openers riding their luck and adding 43 runs for the first wicket. Josh Hazlewood once again proved to be RCB’s partnership breaker as he landed the first blow. Pandya didn’t give any loose deliveries in his first two overs. Prabhsimran Singh looked unsettled against him and was soon outfoxed by the veteran spinner. Shortly after, Shreyas Iyer departed as Romario Shepherd nicked him off.
With wickets falling at one end, Josh Inglis kept going from the other, mainly targeting the midwicket boundary against both pacers and spinners. After Shreyas, Inglis was PBKS’s biggest hope, but he too was undone by Pandya. Nehal Wadhera walked in but looked a shadow of himself, managing only a laboured 15 off 18 balls.
The continuous fall of wickets and lack of boundaries meant that the required rate kept climbing and eventually went out of PBKS’s reach. The double-wicket 17th over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar sealed the game for RCB. Shashank Singh tried his level best at the end, but he was left with a lot to do.
RCB’s innings with the bat was a mixed bag. Their batters found some rhythm, with most getting past double figures, but none quite managed to kick on and deliver a decisive blow. Just as partnerships began to take shape, PBKS struck timely blows to disrupt the flow — the lack of a single 50-run stand highlighted their inability to capitalise.
Virat Kohli top-scored for his team, but his strike-rate of 122.86 was questionable. There was clear intent in his running between the wickets, especially with the large side boundaries, but he lacked the same intent when it came to hitting boundaries — just three in his 43-run innings. The PBKS bowlers used their variations effectively against him.
The pitch was playing tricks, with the slower deliveries proving difficult to hit. While Kohli looked to bat deep and play the anchor role, the other batters around him tried to maintain a high run rate. Rajat Patidar, Mayank Agarwal and Liam Livingstone all chipped in with useful cameos. It was the 17th over that reignited RCB’s hopes of reaching 200, with 23 runs coming off Kyle Jamieson. Up until that point, Jamieson had bowled extremely well, using his cutters effectively. He was well supported by Azmatullah Omarzai, who dismissed Kohli, along with Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yuzvendra Chahal. Arshdeep Singh, whose first three overs were expensive, bounced back brilliantly with a three-wicket final over.
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