IPL: Royal Challengers Bangalore end agonising 18-year wait in Ahmedabad

It took Royal Challengers Bangalore and Virat Kohli, their talismanic figure, 18 editions of IPL to break their jinx for the elusive title on Tuesday. They stopped Punjab Kings six runs short in an enthralling final before a packed Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.

 The stage was set for an electrifying finish as RCB posted a competitive total of 190/9 after being sent into bat – an innings built around Kohli’s 43 off 35 deliveries and a late push by Liam Livingstone (25) and Jitesh Sharma (24) to push the total past 180.

 It looked somewhat below-par but a fighting one on a wicket where the ball was stopping a bit and the RCB bowlers adopted a disciplined approach - with Krunal Pandya applying the brakes with figures of 4-0-17-2. Captain Shreyas Iyer, who singlehandedly lifted PBKS past Mumbai Indians into the final on Sunday, tasted a rare failure as he fell for one.

 Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, two old comrades of Kohli during RCB’s journey over the years, were guests of honour as they made the final after nine years. A nearly full stadium was treated to a musical performance from Shankar Mahadevan and his two sons while tributes were also paid to the Indian Armed Forces for the Operation Sindoor.