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Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli and RCB win IPL, achieve grand breakthrough
Ahmedabad: Outclassed in 2011, falling agonisingly short by six runs in 2009, losing by eight runs in 2016, 2025 was finally their time. In front of a 91,419-strong crowd in Ahmedabad, predominantly supporting their franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off a thrifty bowling performance to successfully defend 190 and end a 17-year wait for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Much like English football fans stay wedded to the catchphrase 'It's coming home' in the hope of a Cup win, RCB supporters have had 'Ee Sala Cup Namade' as their battle cry, which was finally answered on Tuesday night against Punjab Kings. No longer will Virat Kohli remain a king without the crown. He was shedding tears of joy by the time Josh Hazlewood successfully defended 29 runs in the final over. The victory margin was only six runs, but those boundaries at the end didn't matter. He had a title to show after 17 years of perspiration. It's only fair that AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle were watching from the stands and later celebrated with the RCB players. Both were leading architects of RCB's fandom. Finals are cruel. Ecstasy to one side leaves the other team in agony. In a tournament like IPL, ten weeks of blood, sweat and tears count for nothing once the final is lost. It was PBKS' turn to be left agonising. This was only their second final in IPL history, and they will have to wait longer to lay hands on the trophy. Approaching the halfway mark in Punjab's run chase, with Shreyas Iyer having joined Josh Inglis, the asking rate was still in check. There were anxious faces in the RCB dug out. Suyash Sharma, their wrist spinner, had been unexpectedly taken down for an expensive first over. Just then, Romario Shepherd was introduced to prevent Iyer from teeing off against spin, and the West Indies was the one to provide the most important breakthrough. Iyer (1), the man in form and RCB's biggest threat, had edged one to the 'keeper. In matches of reckoning, with legacies to be made, destinies on the line, you can never safely predict who in the park is experiencing jangling nerves. Nehal Wadhera, who had shown he had all the strokes, was suddenly unable to hit the ball past the circle. The experienced Krunal Pandya was all over him. In the bargain, Krunal would force Inglis to take extra risk, and the Australian would have to depart on 39 (23b). In delight, Kohli was leaping in the air while the rest of his RCB teammates mobbed Krunal with high-fives and fist pumps. Krunal, who had tasted success with MI in 2017 would finish with figures of 4-0-17-2, gold dust in a match where the rest of the bowlers had gone for plenty. PBKS openers rode their luck in the Powerplay. Prabhsimran Singh's catch was spilled in the deep by Shepherd. Hazlewood went with hard length and high pace in the early overs. Priyansh Arya didn't look in control against the Aussie speedster and was ultimately caught on 17 at the deep square leg fence by Phil Salt in spectacular fashion. At 52/1 it wasn't the usual forceful Powerplay for PBKS. Then again, this wasn't your usual league match. When RCB came out to bat, it was Kohli's responsibility to force the issue as much it was the aggressive Salt's. PBKS inflicted a blow to RCB by sending back the big-hitting opener in the second over. Salt, who had flown in early morning after becoming a father, had begun without a trace of nerves as he went after Arshdeep Singh in the first over. It took the calm of Iyer to catch a Salt skier on 16. Salt's early wicket meant that despite Mayank Agarwal's constant show of intent, RCB only managed 55/1 in the Powerplay. After Agarwal's dismissal, RCB tried to keep the boundary flow going in the form of Rajat Patidar. The RCB captain was able to attack Yuzvendra Chahal in his early overs, but he too fell at an inopportune time for the team, trapped in front by Kyle Jamieson in an over full of slower balls. At the back end of the tournament, slower balls had been doing magic, in producing wickets as well as keeping a check on scoring. Although Kohli's play has improved against slow bowling in the middle overs, he's still not very good at it. In a pressure game, was there a case for Kohli to try and bat deep? Somewhere in that conundrum, PBKS were able to push through many inexpensive overs. From the time Patidar (26 -16b) was dismissed in the 11th over to Kohli's dismissal on 43 (35b) in the 15th, RCB managed only 35 runs in 19 balls. A proper middle overs slowdown inflicted by PBKS pacers. RCB batters freed up to go on the attack after Kohli's fall. The 17th over went for 22 runs. But PBKS would wrest some of the initiative back with four wickets in the final two overs. Though 190 was not a total to put the outcome beyond doubt, it proved sufficient in the end.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kohli mania turns Ahmedabad into home territory
Ahmedabad: From Paldi to Old High Court to Motera, Ahmedabad was soaked in Virat Kohli fever. Several hours before the start of the game, all roads led to the Narendra Modi stadium in anticipation of Kohli's long-cherished dream to be an IPL winner. The only one-club player, still in action in the Indian Premier League; the once brash West Delhi kid turned heartbeat of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) was the cynosure of all eyes on Tuesday. If there's one man you could bank on to fill the biggest stadium in cricket, it had to be Kohli. Home team Gujarat Titans haven't managed it during the season. No wonder, the broadcasters, the sponsors; those pumping in money to make IPL the extravaganza it is and seeking a bang for their buck, were thrilled to bits when RCB pushed Punjab Kings over in Qualifier 1. While singer Shankar Mahadevan filled the stands with patriotic fervour, you could see Kohli immersed in shadow practice on the sidelines, preparing for his 267th IPL outing. Think of Kohli as the fan magnate whose perennial wait for an IPL title was finally going to end. Or so the thousands assembled at the stadium seemed to think. The force and flow of the average RCB fan was so strong that even Sugumar, the maverick superfan of the franchise who paints his body in red and a warrior mask – he's even on the RCB team bus, this year – would be lost in the numbers. 'I have come from Shivamogga,' said Shalini, 21, an engineering student and one of the many to have travelled from Karnataka to Ahmedabad. 'Ee Sala Cup Namade' That's the popular chant among RCB fans in Kannada which translates to 'This year the Cup will be ours.' RCB players, officials, even past players are prohibited from using the Kannada expression. 'Virat has asked me not to use it,' said AB Devilliers, arguably RCB's second most influential player after jersey No 18. Devilliers had flown in as broadcaster and RCB Hall of Famer. So had Chris Gayle, the other RCB giant who would pump sixes at will in his prime. No wonder cafes and theaters in Bengaluru were glued to their mega screens when Kohli walked out to bat in Ahmedabad after Shreyas Iyer put RCB in. There was even a car full of nimbu-mirchi, the traditional ritual considered to get rid of the evil eye on Bengaluru streets. Former UK Prime Minister, an avid cricket fan was in the stadium to support RCB because of his wife's Bengaluru connection. TV news played out pictures of 'havans' in support of RCB. There was even milk poured over Kohli posters, a ritual as offering for Gods. Some of these may be attention grabbing gimmicks in the social media age. But rarely is such fervour seen before an IPL final. That is still the preserve of India's men in blue. On Tuesday, IPL's most passionate fan base had assembled from around the country and beyond wearing No 18. You could comfortably estimate Punjab Kings orange was heavily outnumbered by RCB's red. The only other franchise to enjoy such ardent support is CSK. And the fans in yellow have had the pleasure of watching their team win more than lose. For the RCB fans, their yearning desire to end their wait to see their team for the first time in eighteen attempts, made those assembled in the one lakh plus seater stadium on the banks of Sabarmati a conveyor belt of emotion.
