New Delhi: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is all set to take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) with both teams gunning for their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad this evening.
It is going to be their fourth encounter this season. In their previous three encounters, RCB have won two and PBKS one.
With both the teams yet to win their first IPL title, there is a lot on the line for them and their skippers. Rajat Patidar and Shreyas Iyer have shown a contrasting approach in leading their teams so far.
Now in the final, while PBKS skipper Iyer is seeking revenge and talking about being at “war”, Patidar has maintained a calm demeanour.
“See, when you are on the field, it’s all about rivalry,” Iyer told Cricbuzz. “It’s not about comfort at all. When you step onto the field, you are at a war. And you fight to win.”
On the other hand, Patidar had a mild take. “So, I will put in everything. And I will give in everything to see to it that my team wins. If I talk about Punjab, I think they are playing tremendous cricket in this league. And the way they are playing, I think it will be a challenge for us in the next game,” Patidar said.
In the history of IPL, RCB and PBKS have faced each other 36 times and it has been even-stevens, with both the teams having won 18 each.
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Biggest wins
In the inaugural edition of the IPL, RCB and PBKS first met on May 5, 2008 at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy. Punjab, who was earlier known as Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), won the match by six wickets. RCB’s first win over Punjab came in IPL 2009 in Durban. The edition was shifted to South Africa due to general elections in India.
The PBKS’ nine-wicket win over the RCB in the 2008 edition is their biggest victory in terms of wickets in hand. After restricting the Challengers at 143/8 during their encounter 12 May at Punjab Cricket Association’s IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, the Kings chased down the target at a loss of just one wicket, with Shaun Marsh’s unbeaten 74 off 51balls.
Punjab’s biggest win in terms of runs against RCB came in the 2011 season when Adam Gilchrist’s 106 and Shaun Marsh’s unbeaten 79 helped the team set a daunting total of 232/2 at Dharamsala.
Chasing, RCB were bowled out for 121, slumping to a 111-run loss. Punjab’s score of 232 in IPL 2011 is also their highest team total against RCB.
On the other hand, RCB bundled out Punjab batters for a mere 89 in a match 14 May at Indore’s Holkar Stadium in the 2018 edition. They comfortably chased the target, without losing a wicket, earning their biggest victory in terms of wickets against this opposition.
The Royal Challengers’ biggest win in terms of runs against Punjab came in the 2015 season. Riding on Chris Gayle’s 57-ball 117, RCB posted 226/3 in Bengaluru before bowling out Punjab for 88 to register a 138-run victory. Notably, Gayle’s 117 is the highest individual score by an RCB player against Punjab.
When it comes to the longest winning streak, Punjab has the upper hand. They won five straight matches against Bengaluru between the 2012 and 2014 seasons.
Whereas, RCB’s best streak against PBKS is four wins in a row, which happened twice—once between 2008 and 2009, and again from 2018 to 2019.
At Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, where the final is being played this evening, PBKS has the bragging rights, winning the only match played there against RCB.
However, in recent times, RCB has dominated, winning five of their last six games against Punjab since 2023.
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Kohli vs Kyle & Iyer vs Hazlewood
When the two teams walk out to play the final, spectators can expect a salivating contest between individual players as well.
The Virat Kohli vs Kyle Jamieson and the Shreyas Iyer vs Josh Hazlewood battle will be ones to watch out for.
Kohli may have a tricky time against lanky Jamieson, who has impressed everyone with his bowling, and has troubled the star batter in their international meetings. In their last encounter in Qualifier 1, it was Jamieson who got the better of Kohli. One of his deliveries moved just enough to make Kohli play at it, leading to a thin edge and a clean catch by the keeper.
Iyer has been in top batting form this season, but he often struggles against extra bounce and movement off the pitch, which is Hazlewood’s specialty.
Iyer’s performance will be crucial for his team’s chances. In Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians, it was his brilliant 87 off 41 balls that rescued his team from a tough situation against Mumbai’s bowlers.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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