Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, together, have been an unfinished story in Indian cricket. Tuesday presents them with another glorious opportunity to give their
unbreakable bond a sense of completion.
When RCB take the field in Ahmedabad in the IPL 2025 final, they will not only be crossing swords with Punjab Kings, they will be fighting against the ghosts of 18
long years and three unsuccessful finals, which have haunted them mercilessly every season.
Before this edition too, the RCB-ians and the Kohli brigade had their fingers and toes crossed in the hope of glory. Besides the cricketing equations, they even delved deep into cosmic connections to believe that this will be the year of RCB and Kohli. It’s the
18th edition of the IPL, Kohli wears shirt No. 18 — it’s not a coincidence, they said, it’s a divine hint of something great in the making.
That hope has grown into an unshakeable belief as RCB marched into the final, overcoming all hurdles that lay in the way. One more win and years of longing for the elusive IPL trophy will end in the best possible way.
But that’s the RCB way of looking at things. There’s another side to the final story, where Punjab Kings are licking an almost identical wound of trophyless years and
are therefore desperate to emerge victorious from Tuesday’s encounter.
Like RCB, Punjab have never won the IPL. While Kohli’s side will be playing their fourth IPL final, for Punjab, it will be a second attempt at glory.
They know that RCB will probably enjoy the lion’s share of the crowd support because of Kohli and perhaps that will egg them on to prove everyone wrong.
A potent threat
On paper, RCB are the favourites. They have a better pair of openers and the variety in their bowling attack is certainly much more than what Punjab have. But one man might upset all equations. Shreyas Iyer.
It would not be wrong to say that Shreyas played almost like Kohli when he masterfully dismantled the Mumbai Indians bowling attack on Sunday in the Qualifier 2 contest. The 30-year-old made a mockery of what seemed a tough chase. He was always in control of the required run rate and never lost his composure.
Shreyas can do that to RCB as well. Yes, RCB’s bowling attack has Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma. But then, Mumbai too had Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. With all kinds of strokes in his arsenal, Shreyas can dominate even the best bowlers in the world with ease.
Unlike Kohli, Shreyas keeps his emotions in check. After playing such a brilliant knock on Sunday, Shreyas sported a dead face when everyone at the ground was congratulating him. “The job was only half done,” he said later, referring to the final task. It is this calm that makes Shreyas even more dangerous. On his day, he is perhaps deadlier than Kohli. He doesn’t yield to temptations.
The Aussie factor
While RCB will be banking on Australian Hazlewood to make a big impact in the final, Punjab too will be keeping faith in an Aussie to steer them to their ultimate target. It’s head coach Ricky Ponting.
The former Australian captain has been the director behind the camera in Punjab’s remarkable show this season. He has formed a successful bond with the captain and the mutual respect between them is reflected in the way they react to setbacks as a team.
Ponting also brings with him the Aussie mentality of not stepping back whatever be the challenge. Punjab seem to have learnt that well from their coach.
But then, Kohli knows how to beat the Aussies. So who will have the last laugh?