Some 6,255 days ago, Brendon McCullum smashed 18 runs off a single over bowled by Zaheer Khan at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Even after that over, the carnage continued as the former New Zealand skipper finished with a jaw-dropping 73-ball 158. Looking back, it seems as if RCB have been under some kind of a spell since that whirlwind knock, as they are yet to hoist the IPL trophy. They came close thrice by reaching the final. At some point of time, during two of those three finals, it felt like they had one hand on the trophy. Eventual result though was coming second best.
In that context, ahead of the marquee summit clash between RCB and PBKS in Ahmedabad, the only question on everyone’s lips in Bengaluru is – will it be ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde?’ There are enough indicators that it could be RCB’s night. After all, they have shown the winning mentality of a champion side not once, not twice, but four or five times this season. Be it in front of a sea of blue at the Wankhede, the city of Nawab in Lucknow, or in front of their boisterous home crowd, the Rajat Patidar-led side found ways to wriggle out of difficult situations.
In every away game, RCB have found a hero, who in turn has turned out to be the difference between the two sides. While playing LSG, it was Jitesh Sharma and Mayank Agarwal who took them to a victory, helping RCB to secure a berth in Qualifier 1. In the subsequent Qualifier 1, Josh Hazlewood, combined with Yash Dayal and Suyash Sharma to blow away PBKS. Suyash himself has been an unsung hero in a couple more games, against RR and MI, respectively. Tim David and Salt, the two power-hitters, have also made important contributions.
Lest we forget Krunal Pandya’s impact against MI, DC and PBKS in the league phase. Such was Krunal’s desperation to help RCB win the game versus MI that the spinner ended up ushering in a few bouncers. Of course, Hazlewood has been the cornerstone of RCB’s stellar show. The pace bowler has bowled with exemplary control and blended it with hit-the-deck skills and smarts to not just pick up key wickets but also keep a tight leash on the scoring rate. The way Hazlewood seems to watch the feet of the batter at back foot contact has been a treat to watch.
And then there is ‘King Kohli’. Virat Kohli continues to be the heartbeat of the side, having notched up more than 600 runs at a healthy strike rate. He is an invaluable member of the side on the field, providing guidance to Patidar. With Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik at the helm of affairs, RCB also possess a very good coaching staff. Incidentally, Flower has had success as a head coach across continents, conditions and formats.
Even if you do some number-crunching, RCB have enough matchups going their way. Shreyas Iyer, the PBKS skipper, has been dismissed four times over 22 deliveries by Hazlewood in T20s. He has also been dislodged on nine occasions by RCB’s seamers from the current set-up. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has got the better of Prabhsimran Singh on five different occasions in this format. In fact, there is a school of thought that Prabhsimran has an issue or two against hard lengths.
Josh Inglis might have found success versus Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer recently, but Hazlewood, his Australian teammate, has dislodged him twice in this IPL. The heavy ball turned out to be his bugbear while facing Hazlewood in Mullanpur. Despite all that, Shreyas would be feeling confident that they can overcome RCB and seal the trophy.
The determined look on his face while he shepherded PBKS to a famous win over MI in Qualifier 2 tells something about his monster mentality. His words – “We lost the battle, not the war” – after his side slipped to an embarrassing defeat against RCB in Qualifier 1 give further credence to his never-give-up mindset.
So, will Salt be available for the final or has he gone back to England for the birth of his child? What about David and his injury? At a micro-level, will King Kohli finally get an opportunity to hold his hands on the coveted trophy? If that happens, then rest assured that there will be bedlam in the city. And thousands and thousands of RCB fans will celebrate right through the night outside the MG road, Chinnaswamy stadium and the rest of the city.