‘You wait ages for a bus and then two come along at once’.
This popular British idiom about London buses can apply to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as well if they get the job done against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL final today.
Their loyal fan base had waited in vain for 17 years before they finally tasted success last year, and should be confident about repeating the feat in Ahmedabad, especially after the thrashing they handed to GT in Tuesday’s Qualifier.
Ironically, the success has come with Rajat Patidar – a relative journeyman – at the helm of the side. His predecessors, who couldn’t get the job done, include luminaries such as Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen, Daniel Vettori, Faf du Plessis and of course, Virat Kohli. It may prove that a big name, aura and halo around a captain may not be such a significant factor in the IPL. The proof of the pudding is in its eating.
The list of captains to have won two IPL titles is a short one – featuring MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir. Only Dhoni and Sharma have successfully defended their crowns, but both of them were bona fide stalwarts of the game by the time they did it. Now Patidar has a chance to enter rarefied air. This could be the making of him as a star in his own right. He last played for India almost two and a half years ago, but the sheer weight of runs and the strike rate at which he has got them would make him hard to ignore for the national selectors, at least in the shortest format.
His opposite number in the title clash, Shubman Gill, may also have a point to prove. The India skipper in Tests and One-Day Internationals wasn’t considered good enough for a spot in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup on home soil. Leading his team to the IPL title and contributing generously with the bat – his classy century in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) made the chase of 215 a walk in the park – would be a robust argument in his favour.
This would be the fourth clash between the two sides this season, with RCB winning two of the earlier three. The most recent contest was dominated by Patidar’s 33-ball 93 that put the game beyond GT’s reach. With the IPL being an annual affair and a match – sometimes two – every day, it takes a special innings to stay in the fans’ memory.
Boy wonder
Someone who wouldn’t be forgotten in a hurry by fans is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old dominated pedigreed bowlers to such an extent that his age went from being a novelty to a scarcely-believable statistic. Though his innings of 96 off 47 balls went in vain against GT, Sooryavanshi showed that he’s learning quickly and his batting is constantly evolving.
He’s not just a six-hitter but a batter who can play to the situation and pull his head in for a while if the team has lost a few wickets. There are miles to go in his development but the boy from Bihar has done enough for the 2026 season to be referred to as Sooryavanshi’s year.
But his work in this edition is done with only the GT openers – Gill and Sai Sudharsan – having a realistic chance to catch the teenager at the top of the run-scorers’ chart. If Gill and Sudharsan bat first in today’s final, the first few overs of the game may not be too dissimilar to those on the first morning of a Test match. The GT openers don’t seem to change their games too much for a T20 contest. They are technically correct and easy on the eye. A lot of their shots travel on the turf, as opposed to in the air, as they often hit through the field rather than over it.
No.3 Jos Buttler provides a different challenge even though the GT batting can be rightfully termed
top-heavy. Gill and Sudharsan against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood could be one for the cricket connoisseurs. It will not be apt to call the Indian veteran’s performance this season a revelation, as he has been doing this for years now.
But the way he has kept himself relevant in such a batter-friendly format needs to be taken note of. At 36, he isn’t at his quickest, but speed was never his main attribute, control and movement in both directions definitely are. He has the happy habit of getting big wickets in the Powerplay, setting the opposition back at the outset.
Hunting in pairs
Bhuvneshwar’s new-ball pairing with Hazlewood would be the envy of many teams.
The Aussie’s height, bounce, hard length and subtle skills make him a force to reckon with in a format for which he was deemed unsuitable for a large part of his career.
The GT bowling attack is, if anything, even more loaded and won’t look out of place in a match of longer duration. They possess the current top wicket-taker in Kagiso Rabada and it would be safe to assume that the Purple Cap will eventually go either to him or Bhuvneshwar. Mohammed Siraj is always a threat with the new ball. Their opening duel with Kohli could go a long way in deciding the destination of the trophy.
If the past is anything to go by, the RCB icon won’t be content to see them off and would want to stamp his authority early. In previous games, he has gone after the South African in his first over, before Rabada comes up with a riposte.
But there is class throughout the GT line-up. The tall Jason Holder is tough to get away while Prasidh Krishna may be expensive, but can be expected to get wickets. Then there’s Rashid Khan.
The Afghan leg-spinner may have had a forgettable outing against RR on Friday, but has been having a strong season overall and can stifle the middle overs.
But as is often the case in big matches, it’s the support cast whose small but vital contributions tilt the contest one way or the other. It could be Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam Dar or Jitesh Sharma for RCB, or Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar or Nishant Sindhu for GT.
Big games are often decided by small margins. These were the two top teams in the league phase and deserve to be in the situation they find themselves in. Everyone tries their best but the pressure of the occasion cannot be ignored. A dropped catch, a missed runout or a no-ball or big wide at a crucial stage can have a disproportionate impact on the outcome.