Bangalore became IPL champions for the first time, Virat's 18th dream also fulfilled

There were four balls left, and the outcome of the game was sealed at that time. Bengaluru had won. So Kohli couldn't keep himself from expressing his feelings. He had already won all the trophies of his life. The IPL was left. At last, that also happened. Kohli also won the IPL in his 18th year. His dream was fulfilled.

Finalists Face Off: Punjab vs Bengaluru

The two finalists, Punjab and Bengaluru. Pursuing 191 runs, the decibel levels grew with every wicket Punjab fell. Shreyas has the experience of having won the IPL. He presented the trophy to Kolkata Knight Riders last year. From that angle, he was more experienced. To become a champion, everyone needs to play well. Which Bengaluru did. They became champions collectively.

Hayden's Pitch Prediction vs Reality

A day before the match, Matthew Hayden had stated that the wicket would be 220 runs. But once the Bangalore game commenced, it didn't seem so when I watched Kohli's batting. Particularly, Kohli did not bat the way he had batted in this season of the IPL, in the final. He could manage to score just three fours off 35 balls. Punjab bowler had thought to give short balls to Kohli. He was not bowling him at good length. As a result, he wasn't getting a chance to hit shots on the front foot. He was forced to play in the square. Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson were also manipulating the speed of the ball.

Kohli’s Pre-Planned Strategy Backfires

Kohli was left with no option but to depend on runs. He had apparently pre-planned to play 20 overs. The others would play with him. They would be taking chances. Kohli would attempt to open his hands at the end. But Kohli could not play until the end. He could not tackle Azmatullah Omarzai's short ball. Omarzai made a good catch with his own ball. He got out for 43 runs off 35 balls.

Bengaluru's Team Contribution Secures 190

Kohli was Bengaluru's top scorer. No one else even reached 30 runs. Bengaluru scored 190 runs. That was the outcome of their team performance. At one point, it looked like it would not go beyond 175 runs. Jitesh Sharma's contribution of 15 runs more did the trick. Jitesh retained Bengaluru in the top two teams in the playoffs with his individual bat.