Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally broke their Indian Premier League (IPL) title drought, securing their maiden title after eighteen long years. They won the coveted title after defeating Punjab Kings by 6 runs in a high-stakes final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday that saw PBKS crumble under pressure during their chase of a competitive 191-run target.
RCB, put to bat, posted a solid total of 190/9 in 20 overs after ever-reliable Virat Kohli hammered a composed 43 to anchor the innings. The middle-order contributions from skipper Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone, scoring 26 and 25, respectively, propelled RCB to a total that eventually proved to be an uphill task for PBKS.
Meanwhile, chasing the total, PBKS had a nice start with openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh scoring 24 and 26, respectively. But their middle order failed to capitalise, with RCB bowlers maintaining tight lines. Krunal Pandya played a massive part in RCB’s win, returning with 2-17 from his four overs, bowling 12 dot balls. Despite a brief fightback from Josh Inglis, who top-scored with 39, Punjab managed only 184/7 in 20 overs — falling 6 runs short of glory.