This Is What Happened Last Time When Shreyas Iyer & Rajat Patidar Clashed in a T20 Cup Final

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to have a brand new champion as Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), two franchises that have never won the coveted trophy, will lock horns in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

There was no separating the two teams in the league stage of the tournament, as both of them defeated each other once in the league stage. Both of them finished on the same number of points (19) after 14 league games, but Punjab, thanks to their superior Net Run Rate, took the top spot while RCB had to contend with the second position.

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However, it was RCB who reached the final first after thrashing the table toppers by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 in their own backyard in New Chandigarh. Making the most of the second chance, Shreyas Iyer’s team got the better of five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the second Qualifier to make their first IPL final in 11 years.

Apart from their neck-to-neck performances in the league stage, Punjab and Bengaluru have one more thing in common. The captains of both teams are leading their respective franchises for the first time this season.

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However, this is not the first time Rajat Patidar and Shreyas Iyer have gone head-to-head against each other in the final of a T20 tournament. The last time these two players marched against each other in a final was in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, leading their respective state teams, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai.

Patidar led his troops from the front and blasted an unbeaten 81 off 40 deliveries, helping MP post 174/8 in 20 overs. He was the lone warrior for his franchise as none of the other batters crossed the 25-run mark.

Mumbai had plenty of contributors in their run chase, but it was young Suryansh Shedge who took them home with his audacious power-hitting. His 36* off 15 balls powered Mumbai to a five-wicket win as they became the domestic T20 champions.

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Even though the result did not go his way, Patidar would be hoping to play a similar knock this time around as well and put his team in a commanding position. Iyer, on the other hand, would be looking to add one more title to his already glittering trophy cabinet.

Bengaluru will be looking to shed the tag of IPL’s ultimate chokers, while Punjab will be looking to remove the tag of perennial underperformers of the tournament.

Whoever wins the trophy, it will be history!