Ahmedabad, June 3: Virat Kohli’s nearly two-decade long agonising wait to lay hands on an IPL Trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be up against Shreyas Iyer’s resolve to make first-time winners out of the tenacious Punjab Kings when the 18th season finale of the world’s biggest T20 league unfolds here on Tuesday.The summit clash here at the Narendra Modi Stadium could witness a thousands of fans donning jersey No.18 to support Kohli, who is in an IPL final for a fourth time overall.
The sentiments of the fans would indeed run high given it will be Kohli’s last appearance on the cricket field for a while, having recently retired from Test cricket and India’s next ODI assignment a few months away.
Parting ways with issues that plagued their previous campaigns, RCB have been clinical all the way through, coming into the final with an eight-wicket hammering of Punjab in a one-sided Qualifier 1.
Kohli (614 runs) has gone about his business like every other year, piling up runs at the top and continuing to lay platforms but where it has made the difference for RCB is that there’s a lot more substance to their batting beyond the superstar.
Kohli has not been the only one to carry the focus and attention this year, rather he has quietly gone about his business in fortifying for RCB.
Phil Salt is a perfect foil for the Indian superstar who goes all-out in his attack, while Mayank Agarwal, skipper Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma are the trusted lieutenants of that batting line-up.
Since he has missed RCB’s last two games, it remains to be seen if Tim David is fit for this contest as he forms a vital death overs batting pair with another burly hitter in Romario Shepherd.
Like Kohli in their batting, the calm and composed Josh Hazlewood (21 wickets) has been at the helm of RCB’s rise and the fourth highest wicket-taker and the Australian would want to add more to move up the ladder in one last game.
On their part, stung by that crushing defeat in their homeground at Mullanpur, Iyer’s Kings showed no scars from that defeat as they knocked out five-time winners Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 to reach their first final after 11 years.
It’s only fitting that PBKS and RCB, who finished at the top two positions respectively after a gruelling 70-match league round, have a crack at the trophy which has eluded them from the time the competition began.
Perennial finishers in the second half of the 10-team points table, Punjab Kings have staged a sensational turnaround with two dogged personalities in captain Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting at the helm.
For Iyer (603 runs), a second consecutive appearance in an IPL final after winning it last year with Kolkata Knight Riders speaks volumes about his capabilities as a leader who marshals his troops as good as any other in the format.
It is, therefore, not a surprise to see Iyer being the only cricketer in the 18-year history of the tournament to have led three different teams in IPL finals, with Delhi Capitals being the third.
Iyer’s perseverance is not the only quality that stands out for the 30-year-old Punjab captain but also the fact that he remains as hungry to win this IPL as he was when he began the journey with the franchise a few months ago.
In Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Priyansh Arya and Shashank Singh, Iyer has adequate support to hold his fort staunchly and even lead aggressive attacks on the opposition camp.
Punjab’s bowling, without Marcus Jansen, did look a little depleted but having managed to keep a lid on Mumbai Indians’ for the entirely of an innings on a batting-friendly wicket tells that there is more to it than what has been perceived.
Yuzvendra Chahal is still dealing with a hand injury and was not at his absolute best in the Qualifier 2 but Punjab would need him to fire against his former franchise.
While there are no predictions of rains impacting the contest, an additional hour to the playtime extending the duration to 120 minutes and having a reserve day in the final are the measures in place to ensure the contest is completed.