Gargi Raut in Mullanpur
There’s a certain flavour in the IPL playoffs this time around that didn’t exist before. Two teams that have never won the IPL trophy at the top of the points table, poised with 19 points each. When we look at the two teams, there is an opportunity of redemption for them, along with the fact that Shreyas Iyer, under whose captaincy Punjab Kings have flourished, might just lead a second team to the title. On the other hand there is a Virat Kohli, waiting patiently from the past 18 years to lift the coveted trophy. For these two franchises, every year this dream is sown and then broken.
There is a census among the cricketing fraternity, everyone wants a team who has never won before, to lift the trophy. The situation can be compared to Lewis Hamilton’s reign in Formula 1, after dominating the sport from 2017 to 2020 and winning back to back World Titles, fans were itching to see someone else dominate the sport. In came Max Verstappen who shattered Hamilton’s dream of winning his eight World Championship in 2021 and won his first, then started the domination of Max and RedBull and fans were again distraught at the idea of one driver winning almost every race. The very thing about sport that excites fans is competition and the story of the underdog is always interesting to watch. While PBKS and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have dominated the season through their performances, they have been underdogs in the sense that they have never won an IPL trophy.
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Another interesting aspect to tonight’s game is the fact that while RCB draws the largest crowds no matter what city they are in, PBKS are playing at home and their fans too have never disappointed. Will it be PBKS fans who will dominate the stadium or will it be RCB fans who will take the crown for the biggest fan following? One thing is clear, the demand for the match is ‘unmatched’. Fans thronged both the Mullanpur and the Mohali stadiums in order to get their physical tickets. The Box offices saw long queues throughout the day in the scorching heat, fans did not care about the fact that it was in the middle of the afternoon and the temperatures were close to 41 degrees; the fans are the heartbeat of the tournament.
Shreyas Iyer has had an interesting past year, being left out of the annual BCCI contracts, parting ways with KKR; even though he led the team to a title win. This time around, Iyer left no stones unturned, neither with the bat nor his leadership skills. Punjab Kings were struggling to make any sort of impact in the recent IPL campaigns, but under Iyer’s captaincy, coupled with Ricky Ponting’s insights, the team has flourished and dominated the season in every sense of the word.
Meanwhile, fan favourite and the biggest brand in the IPL, Virat Kohli is one step closer to winning his first IPL title, and this year is extra special. RCB fans have their heart set on the fact that with this being IPL’s 18th year and Kohli’ jersey number being 18, the team is destined to win the title. While the team has not disappointed with their run of form, especially in away games, winning seven matches on the trot, they are a threat to PBKS. While fans would love to see either of PBKS and RCB win the title, there will only be one winner tonight.
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