New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru would feel Punjab King’s pain the most. For not so long ago, they were in the same boat. Ridiculed on social media as ‘trophyless virgins’, they were almost invariably considered as also-rans in the IPL rather than genuine title contenders.
RCB have put an end to those taunts and memes with their maiden title triumph on Tuesday, ironically, at the cost of PBKS.
Rajat Patidar’s RCB were beaten on the previous three occasions they reached the final but were successful on their fourth attempt to put the monkey off their back.
Punjab’s agony only increased after their third defeat in the title round in Ahmedabad. They fell short by only six rounds and were left to rue what could have been in a match of fine margins.
But all is not gloom and doom despite yet another failure for Punjab. RCB’s victory would make them believe on multiple counts.
Firstly, they would think that it’s never too late. If RCB can ‘turn adult’ at 18, then can do so too, may be next year. Their skipper Shreyas Iyer vowed as much.
“The job is still half done, we have to be here and win the trophy next year. Positives, definitely the way we turned up and every individual stepping up and saying that he can win the match, there are so many youngsters in the team, I’m sure they’ve gained a lot of experience from these matches.
“I’m sure when they come next year they will carry immense experience with them. We can build some tactics and strategies around that so that we can play some decent cricket,” he said after their defeat.
Secondly, Punjab too have a core group of talented players like RCB. In the mega auction before the 2025 edition, PBKS rearranged not only their playing pool but also their coaching staff.
So in came Ricky Ponting as head coach, who brought in Iyer as skipper, having enjoyed a healthy working relationship with him in 2020 when they took Delhi Capitals to the final.
They have an exciting group of players in Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera, Sashank Singh among others. Each of them have shown their mettle in this campaign and need only fine-tuning to deliver as a unit.
“I am very proud of each and every individual who has participated in this team. There are a lot of youngsters who are playing their first season. The fearless nature that they showed was simply phenomenal,” Iyer said.
“I keep on saying the same thing but hats off to every individual who has been here and who has contributed, the support staff, the management. We wouldn’t be here without them, kudos to them.”
Thirdly, they won’t be short on motivation either, on the contrary, Punjab would believe they are on the right track. In the final match, they were well placed for a good chunk of the match but just couldn’t pull off the win.
That experience would surely benefit the players to improve their killer instincts and how to play under pressure in high-stakes matches, just like RCB managed while defending 191 runs.
Punjab would also hope that fortune favours them at crucial moments next year, which they seemed to not have in the 2025 final.
Punjab Kings would hope to emulate Royal Challengers Bengaluru and end their IPL duck next year Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
