RCB’s 1PL to remember

Ahmedabad: Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru conquered their final frontier but Shreyas Iyer’s resurgent Punjab Kings tripped on the last lap. Mercurial Mumbai Indians once again dazzled before rolling over, and Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans succumbed when it came to winning those big moments.

The 18th edition of the IPL, played over four months from late March to a few days into June, concluded with a fitting finale on Tuesday which saw years of toil and disappointment culminating in such an overwhelming end for RCB that it left their old warhorse in Kohli bursting out in emotions.

The superstar failed to get going in the big final as his conservative 35-ball 43 with only three fours left RCB wanting. Luck seemed to be deserting Kohli’s men as none of them could convert starts.

But if, at the halfway mark, Punjab looked ahead, everything fell in place for RCB in final analysis. RCB put together an impeccable squad in the mega auction and fired in unison one last time this year to deliver a win which will be remembered for a long time.

Until any player in future who bats as well as Kohli and spends as much time in the same franchise as the superstar has, the record of most runs by any player in IPL for a single team will remain with Kohli (9,085) and RCB. That also includes crossing the 600-run mark, which Kohli has done five times including this year with 657 runs.

Bowing out like a King

Shreyas Iyer’s (604 runs with six 50s, average 50.33) performances in the last one year or so have been screaming out loud that there is more to him than what is perceived both as a batter and a leader. It was no surprise to see that he was the anchor of the perennial strugglers’ remarkable turnaround. With a determined Iyer and head coach in Australian Ricky Ponting at the helm, Punjab’s young squad marched into the final as a worthy challenger. A title win was not meant to be, but PBKS ensured they will now be considered among title contenders.

MI, CSK: A contrasting tale

Fifth in 2021, 10th in 2022, 4th in 2023, 10th in 2024 and 4th in 2025 on the points table: IPL’s perennial slow-starters have blown hot and cold since winning a fifth title in 2020. Four defeats in first five games marked yet another typical Mumbai Indians’ start, but Hardik Pandya’s men came back roaring to win the next six matches. Change is the only constant goes the old adage and CSK learnt it the hard way. CSK parted ways with its philosophy of keeping young talent on bench but it was too little too late at the end.

Titans cut to size

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Prasidh Krishna shone brightest as Titans dominated the league stage but lost steam towards the business end. A top-two finish looked a mere formality but the Titans ended third in the league round and were humbled by MI in the Eliminator.

Young guns on fire

RR’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi was a 13-year-old when he was picked in the mega auction and at 14 in May, he became the youngest ever to score the fastest IPL ton for an Indian off 35 balls and second-fastest ever, against Gujarat Titans. While Abhishek Sharma was also among those who hit centuries, it also included Punjab Kings’ uncapped Priyansh Arya, who took apart a lowly CSK with his maiden IPL ton.