Royal Challengers Bengaluru is no longer the escort. After being a three-time runner-up, RCB eventually reached the summit to claim the IPL trophy.
On Tuesday, the massive fanbase experienced unadulterated delight as RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, ending seventeen editions of yearning and heartbreak.
The one highlight that was absent from the list was added by Virat Kohli, the owner of a dazzling array of titles and milestones.
In his inaugural season as RCB captain, Rajat Patidar accomplished what numerous of his esteemed predecessors, including Kohli, Anil Kumble, and Rahul Dravid, were unable to do.
The franchise choked a nervous PBKS in front of a packed audience, which was primarily composed of RCB supporters. RCB appeared to have made a mistake by scoring 190 for nine, but they more than compensated for it with an exceptional bowling performance.
Shreyas Iyer, the in-form skipper of PBKS, initiated the victory celebrations early by nicking an innocuous delivery outside off stump from medium-pacer Romario Shepherd.
Shreyas, the mastermind behind PBKS’ effective pursuit of Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2, exited the field for a moment. And with him, PBKS’ own aspirations of achieving its first IPL title were dashed.
Shepherd may have secured Shreyas’s significant wicket, but Krunal Pandya initiated the play. The left-arm spinner, who entered the assault in the seventh over, caused the batters to be tangled by maintaining an exceptional length.
In addition to the wickets of Josh Inglis and Prabhsimran Singh, the 34-year-old conceded only 17 runs in his four overs.
Shashank Singh (61 no., 30b, 3×4, 6×6) remained in the vicinity in an effort to disrupt the RCB celebration, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
Right at the toss, Shreyas called it and, as he did against MI, elected to field first. The pitch was dampened by intermittent rain a few hours prior to the commencement of the game, which resulted in the RCB batsmen adopting a cautious approach.
The RCB top order maintained a cautious demeanor, with the exception of a brief appearance by Phil Salt.
Kohli (43, 35b, 3×4) assumed the anchor position, maintaining the ball near the ground and executing rapid singles and twos. This did put additional pressure on his associates, who were compelled to implement aggressive strategies.
RCB required Jitesh Sharma to execute his innings with full force, as the run rate had fallen below nine runs per over. Jitesh was prepared to challenge the challenge with a 10-ball 24.
It would have been advantageous for PBKS to limit RCB to a score of less than 200; however, there was no preventing RCB from making history.
