CAN RCB WIN IPL AND IS THIS KING KOHLI'S FINAL SWANSONG?

JUST ONE MORE TO GO

- Siddhaarth Mahan

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have done it again. After years of heartbreaks, collapses, and what-ifs, RCB have stormed into the IPL final for the fifth time and after a long gap of nine years. But this year feels different. There's something special about this team, something unshakeable. After all, they've won every single away game this season, a rare feat in the billion-dollar league where home advantage often makes a huge difference.

Their route to their first IPL final since 2016 has hardly been straightforward for RCB. The tournament itself was disrupted midway due to a sudden outbreak and escalation of IndiaPakistan tensions. For a moment, cricket took a backseat. But once play resumed, RCB picked up where they left off, charging forward with remarkable consistency and clarity of purpose.

On Thursday night, RCB made a strong and unambiguous statement. Facing Punjab Kings on a spicy surface in New Chandigarh, RCB's bowlers turned the match into a spectacle of seam, bounce, and sheer aggression. Punjab crumbled for just 101. Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, and the rising young star Yash Dayal bowled with relentless intensity. Leg-spinner Suyash Sharma chipped in too, outfoxing batters with his unreadable googlies. It wasn't just a win, it was a thorough demolition!