A little after Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and opted to bowl first in the final against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Virat Kohli was giving a pep talk to his teammates. The determination and resolve to retain the IPL crown were evident.
Kohli and his teammates showed that will to win in their game as well, leading to RCB defending their crown successfully with a five-wicket win over the Titans in the decider, which puts them on a par with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in terms of winning back-to-back IPL titles.
Keeping it just short of good length was all that the RCB bowlers had focused on after winning the toss. And their ploy paid off.
All the RCB quicks — Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam, and even the wicketless Jacob Duffy — focused on the back-of-a-length and shorter deliveries, which induced errors from the Titans’ batsmen as Shubman Gill and Co. posted a modest 155/8. The pitch, which appeared to be a mix of red and black soil, seemed a little two-paced with some of the balls keeping a bit low.
Continuous hitting through the line wasn’t easy, but RCB came out punching in the Powerplay itself. Kohli and Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer had the Titans bowlers by the scruff of the neck as RCB raced to 62/0 inside the first five overs of the reply, which was two-thirds of the job done after the bowling group had laid the foundation.
The Titans still tried to claw their way back, with Rashid Khan striking twice in his first over with the vital scalps of in-form captain Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya. But overall the Titans bowlers, including Kagiso Rabada, were not probing enough.
They also needed to get Kohli out. They couldn’t, and the former captain once again showed how to master a run chase as his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls eventually took RCB home with two overs remaining. That too, withstanding a leg discomfort.
Fittingly, it was Kohli who hit the winning stroke to confirm RCB’s second successive title. Also, the authority with which he batted against Rabada in the latter’s first couple
of overs was another important factor in terms of the game’s outcome.
For the Titans, Washington Sundar top-scored with an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls. But to post a formidable total, their top three — Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler — had to score big. They failed.
What also seemed weird was the Titans dropping Buttler down to No. 4 and instead promoting Nishant Sindhu up at No.3. Not only did the move fall flat, but that also seemed to have affected Buttler’s rhythm.