Wait is finally over; Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinch IPL title

AHMEDABAD: In a historic victory, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) secured their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title by defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in a thrilling final. Chasing a target of 191 runs set by RCB, Punjab Kings were restricted to 184/7 in their 20 overs.

Punjab got off to a strong start in their chase with openers Priyansh Arya (24 off 19) and Prabhsimran Singh (26 off 22) putting up a 46-run partnership for the first wicket. The partnership was broken when Arya was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis then joined Prabhsimran and added crucial runs, scoring 39 off 23 balls. However, Prabhsimran fell right after the strategic timeout.

Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer, the hero of the previous match, could only manage 1 run from 2 balls before being dismissed by Romario Shepherd. When the score reached 98, Inglis too was dismissed by Krunal Pandya, giving RCB the upper hand.

Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh tried to steady the innings, but Wadhera, who managed to score only 15 runs off 18 balls, was dismissed in the 17th over, Marcus Stoinis came in next, hitting a six off his first ball but got out on the very next, scoring just 6 off 2 balls. Afghan player Azmatullah Omarzai followed, but could contribute only a single run.

Punjab needed 42 runs from the last two overs. Shashank Singh managed just 13 runs In the 19th over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Heading into the final over, Punjab required a nearly impossible 29 runs for victory. Despite a valiant effort by Shashank, who scored 22 in the final over, Punjab fell just 6 runs short, handing RCB a historic win.

Earlier, RCB, batting first after losing the toss, scored 190/9 in 20 overs. Virat Kohli was the top scorer with 43 off 35 balls. His opening partner Phil Salt contributed 16 off 9 balls. Mayank Agarwal (24 off 18), skipper Rajat Patidar (26 off 16), and Liam Livingstone (25 off 15) all got starts but failed to convert them into big scores.

Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma scored a quick 24 off 10 balls, while Romario Shepherd added 17 off 9. Contributions from the tailenders included Krunal Pandya (4 off 5), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1 off 2), and Yash Dayal (1* off 1). RCB lost three wickets in the final over.

For Punjab, Kyle Jamieson and Arshdeep Singh took three wickets each, while Azmatullah Omarzai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up one wicket apiece.