PBKS, RCB chase their first IPL crown

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Ahmedabad: At the best of times, captains dodge probing questions in pre-match media conferences. Put captains of the two IPL finalists next to each other on match eve, staring at the trophy they will fight for after 10 weeks of attrition and you can expect them to be anything but candid.
'I respect your question, but don't think I would want to answer with the opposing skipper sitting beside me,' Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer said when asked about his ability to pick moments in a match, on when to go hard, as his Royal Challengers Bengaluru counterpart Rajat Patidar listened.
The only time the two skippers lowered their guard in the 20-minute press meet was when reminded about their leading Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh in the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final. 'Haan wahi feeling aa rahi hai (It's the same feeling),' Iyer said. 'I was telling Shreyas the same thing. Bus, stage different hai,' said Patidar.
An exhilarating IPL in which the most 200-plus totals have been achieved, laced with the most sixes and highest scoring rates, is coming to an end. However, Tuesday night will be less about these statistics and all about which set of players hold their nerves under pressure at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Whoever wins, we will have a new champion. In a season where IPL marked its adulthood, eight different winners out of a total of 15 teams that have played in the competition would be a fair reflection of its level playing field.
While every team can stage an upset, not every team can be consistent. MI and CSK have been serial winners. KKR have won the title thrice. But take this year's finalists. RCB had made three previous finals – 2009, 2011, 2016. But PBKS advanced to the final only once before, in 2014. Peel more layers and you figure it was the only season Punjab even made the playoffs. Never before has Punjab looked in command as they currently do in head coach Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer's care – table-toppers in the league phase and having served Mumbai Indians a crushing defeat in Qualifier 2.
You could say the same about RCB. If anything, RCB are a better structured squad and stronger in terms of experience. Virat Kohli has been high on intent, but unlike the past he has not felt the pressure to search for sixes, complemented by Phil Salt, who punctures bowlers' egos from the other end. Similarly with the ball, Yash Dayal can hold his own as all he has to do is support the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. Jitesh Sharma has discovered a new gear as a finisher. With previous RCB squads, their Indian core lacked experience. This time, they also have Krunal Pandya's wisdom to draw upon.
RCB is the box-office side with soaring viewership and sponsorship, the same as the more successful teams. A lot of it is down to Kohli, their one-man industry. Energetic that he is on field, even Kohli has shown his human face of late, giving up cricket in piecemeal, as the burden, external and internal, gets too much to handle.
Kohli was the first man out to bat in the nets on Monday evening, pumping balls out of the ground. It is the first thing he will look to do when he steps out to bat at the centre wicket (mixed-soiled pitch) of the Narendra Modi Stadium, which will fill to capacity in his support.
PBKS players didn't turn up for practice after the late-night slugfest against MI on Sunday. Iyer said he could only catch about four hours of disturbed sleep.
Speaking about the need for a quick turnaround for the final, PBKS bowling coach James Hopes slipped in a quick one, 'I imagine it is going to be a pretty big crowd and a pretty big pro-Kohli crowd as well,' he said.
For Patidar, the season has been transformative. Up until he was appointed RCB captain, he was a domestic journeyman with fleeting experience of international cricket, without much success. Now, he will be fronting the aspirations of IPL's most passionate fan base that will ask again, 'Ee sala Cup Namde?'
'Expectations come naturally, especially when you're leading a team like RCB in a final. But I always focus on the controllables,' Patidar pulled out one of the many cliches.
The two captains went their ways after the media interaction to promote the final. Iyer headed to his team hotel to meet the squad, relying heavily on Indian talent. Bursting with energy, many of the youngsters haven't faced the stage that awaits them.
'It's time to take the bull by the horns,' Iyer had commented. There's a good chance that's the message he will share with his young bunch of hopefuls.