ROYAL Challengers Bengaluru and Virat Kohli washed away 18 years of hurt and disappointment on a dream Tuesday night, conquering Punjab Kings by six runs to lift their maiden Indian Premier League title here on Tuesday. The final turned out to be a battle of nerves and RCB certainly channelled their years of disappointment and pain to come back roaring in the contest and seal a commanding victory. A partisan crowd did not give up on RCB even as they struggled to find the flourish with the bat and ended up posting a total of 190-9 with superstar Kohli making a laborious 35-ball 43. At the break, RCB’s total did not look enough but a persistent effort from their bowlers made the scoreboard pressure ultimately work in their favour. With 29 needed off the final over, RCB’s win was sealed when Josh Hazlewood bowled the second dot ball on the trot.

 

 

Shashank Singh struck a valiant 61 not out off 30 balls (3x4, 6x6), but his effort came far too late as Punjab Kings ended at 184 for seven. Josh Hazlewood provided the first breakthrough, Krunal Pandya bowled a dream spell of 4-0-17-2 in a summit clash but it was Romario Shepherd’s dismissal of PBKS’ gun captain Shreyas Iyer that finally indicated which way the game was headed. All it took was an innocuous delivery outside off to see the back of the most dangerous batter in the final as Iyer, coming off a terrific knock in Qualifier 2, edged it behind off Shepherd and walked back with his head dropped. Josh Inglis (39 off 23 balls, 1x4, 4x6) made every opportunity count when it came to hitting towards midwicket but Pandya had him caught at long-on in the 13th over.

 

Thereafter, every dot ball drew appreciation from fans and they were at their loudest when RCB legend AB de Villiers appeared on the big screen on the ground, and also when PBKS were mathematically knocked out. Desperate to strike early, RCB needed something special and Phil Salt produced a brilliant effort in the deep when Priyansh Arya (24) lifted the ball off Hazlewood in the fifth over. Salt made a dash from deep square leg to his right and took the catch reverse cupped and threw the ball up in the air as he hurtled past the ropes. He recovered quickly to get inside the field and take a stunning catch. Punjab’s impact sub Prabhsimran Singh (26 off 22 balls) succumbed to pressure even as his side made 52-1 in the powerplay.

 

Bhuvneshwar shut the doors on Punjab when he dismissed Nehal Wadhera (15) and Marcus Stoinis (6) in a span of three deliveries in the 17th over and thereon, RCB’s triumph was only a formality. Earlier, RCB huffed and puffedto 190 for nine after their battersfailed to press matters on whatremained a conducive wicket. While RCB were not only a tadconservative in the bigfinal, luck also did notfavour the fourth-timefinalists chasing theirmaiden trophy a greatdeal, as each of theirbatters perished aftergetting a start. And there were nofireworks on the nightof the big final asKohli, looking toanchor the inningsthe way he has donein the past, perishedafter his laboriouseffort in the middle. Kohli struck amere three fours —two after the ninthover — as he got his43 runs off 35 ballsat 122.85. RCB’s slowing down post thepowerplay, in which they scored55-1, also saw their batters farming the strike rather than takinginitiative to aim for big overs withonly 42 runs coming betweenovers 6-11.