Virat Kohli's trophy cabinet is chock full of awards from his international career but the batsman can end the long wait to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title when his Royal Challengers Bengaluru play Punjab Kings in Tuesday's final.

The summit clash 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.

The 36-year-old has been with Bengaluru since the inaugural edition of the league in 2008, including nine seasons as captain of a franchise that made the finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 but lost every time.

They have looked a different side altogether under Rajat Patidar this season though, winning all seven away games in the group stage and crushing Punjab in the first qualifier.

Veteran Kohli is their leading scorer in the tournament but while Bengaluru have been criticised in the past for ignoring team balance and packing the side with marquee players they have finally clicked as a team this season.

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.

"It's a better balanced side, far better balanced side," former Australia player Tom Moody, who has coached Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, told ESPNcricinfo website.

"It's not top heavy. There's opportunities for other players to have an impact in the game, whereas previously, you look at RCB and it was always the top three and then you're concerned about what follows that."

Bengaluru were reinforced by Josh Hazlewood's return from a shoulder injury ahead of the playoff and he had an immediate impact as they dismantled Punjab for 101 on Thursday.

Down but not out, Punjab managed to claw their way into the final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium after beating Mumbai Indians in Sunday's qualifier.

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.

Shreyas Iyer, who captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title last year, has led from the front and is Punjab's top scorer this season.

He produced a captain's knock of 78 not out to help Punjab chase down a tricky target set by powerhouse Mumbai in the qualifier.

"I love big occasions," Iyer said after his match-winning knock.

"I say to myself and my colleagues, the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are, and you'll get the best results.

"Today I was focusing on my breathing rather than sweating it out."

Iyer, with the full backing of coach Ricky Ponting, has instilled a fearlessness in Punjab's approach that has given them hope of winning a first IPL crown.

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.