Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli
Credit: PTI Photo
Ahmedabad: Eighteen years of pain, disappointment and bruised egos were washed away on a nervy Tuesday night as Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally laid their hands on the coveted IPL trophy here.
The heroes for Royal Challengers at the gigantic one-lakh capacity Narendra Modi Stadium, which was packed to the rafters, were their bowlers. Defending a competitive target of 191 against an in-form and dangerous Punjab Kings batting line-up, they delivered a performance for the ages to power RCB to a thrilling 6-run win in the final.
Krunal Pandya, who had gone about his role as the lead spinner throughout the season in a typically understated work-like manner, was the wrecker-in-chief with a brilliant 2/17 spell in the middle phase where he prised out the dangerous duo of Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis. He hardly put a foot wrong in his four overs where he conceded just one six.
And when Romario Shepherd ejected Shreyas Iyer, it left Punjab needing 112 off 62 balls. It was a tall ask and RCB bowlers bowled with discipline to send their fans into a tizzy. They now can finally chant “ee sala cup namdu”!