Ahmedabad, June 3 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru claimed their maiden title in the Indian Premier League (IPL), ending an 18-year wait with a sensational performance in the final for a six-run victory against Punjab Kings in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Tuesday.

Restricted to 190/9 in 20 overs by a fine bowling performance led by Arshdeep Singh (3-40) and Kyle Jamieson (3-38), the Rajat Patidar-led side came back strongly with a mesmerizing bowling performance of their own to keep Punjab Kings to 184/7 in 20 overs.

Krunal Pandya claimed 2-17 in four overs to turn things around for RCB. For PBKS, Shashank Singh led a late charge with a flurry of boundaries, ending with a majestic unbeaten 61 off 30 balls but that was too late and they fell short by six runs.

With this, RCB ended an 18-year-old wait for the title, their title coming under first-time captain Rajat Patidar. The victory made Virat Kohli the first player to claim the title while playing 18 years for a single team.

Punjab Kings lost Impact Sub Prabhsimran Singh, who charged down the wicket for a wild hoick across the line off Krunal Pandya but only managed to top-edge an easy catch to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and slumped to 72/3 chasing a challenging target of 191 on a slower pitch.

A lot now depended on skipper Shreyas Iyer, who had guided them to victory against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator clash with a brilliant 87 not out. But the PBKS skipper, playing his second successive IPL final albeit with two different teams, faltered and was out for 1, edging behind Jintesh Sharma off Romanio Shepherd.

The two wickets by Pandya and Shephered in successive overs and the dismissal of the dangerous Josh Inglis by Pandya a couple of overs later helped RCB take the wind out of the PBKS sails to leave them gasping at 98/4.

They had made a decent start, just like RCB, to reach 52/1. Priyansh Arya was out for 24 off 19 balls, laced with four boundaries, caught brilliantly by Phil Salt off Josh Hazlewood. Arya lofted a length ball towards the square-leg boundary where Salt ran a fair distance, caught the ball, and threw it up in the air before losing balance and going over the rope. He ran back in to complete the catch.

Things went from bad to worse for PBKS with Prabhsimran, Iyer, and Inglis getting out in quick succession, everything depended on Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh. Inglis kept the fight going with a 23-ball 39 studded with one four and four sixes off Yash Dayal, Pandya, Suyash Sharma, and Pandya.

Initially, it was felt that the eight overs bowled by Krunal Pandya and leggie Suyash Sharma would be the key for PBKS. But Pandya turned things in RCB’s favour with a sensational spell of 4-0-17-2 while Shepherd played his part with the key wicket of Iyer. With Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, and Yash Dayal also bowling to the plan, RCB took a strong grip on the match.

Shashank Singh struck Hazlewood for two sixes in a 17-run over (16th) that included a wide and raised some hopes but Wadhera got out Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 15 off 18 balls, getting the toe-end of the bat for a lofted drive that Pandya grabbed gleefully.

Marcus Stoinis blasted a superb six of the first ball he faced but Bhuvneshwar had the last laugh as he got the batter on the next ball with a wide yorker and PBKS, needing 47 off 18 balls, slumped to 142/6.

Azmatullah Omarzai was claimed by Yash Dayal for one and though Shashank Singh struck a six and a four off Bhuvi in the 19th over, it left Punjab Kings needing 29 runs off the last six balls.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 190/9 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 43, Rajat Patidar 26, Jitesh Sharma 24; Arshdeep Singh 3-40, Kyle Jamieson 3-48) beat Punjab Kings (Josh Inglis 39, Shashank Singh 61 not out; Krunal Pandya 2-17, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-38)

–IANS

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