It was the 2016 IPL Final. Royal Challengers Bengaluru were cruising towards their first ever title with the elite pair of Virat- AB still at the crease, that too at their home ground. Yes, the deafening crowd of M. Chinnaswamy was witnessing history about to be written in front of its own eyes by the two best batters of the generation- the heartbeat of Bangalore.

The stage was perfectly set. The stars had aligned. The dream was coming to life. The trophy was theirs to take. Skipper Virat Kohli- the adopted son of Bangalore was batting incredibly at 54*(34), just like he had done throughout the season- weaving magic with every stroke. Being 140/1 RCB needed just 69 runs off 44 balls.

But fate, ruthless and merciless, had other plans. The hands that bled all season for the cup, could only see it being held by someone else at the end. In the blink of an eye, RCB collapsed. The best batting lineup of the season collapsed. The dream which was alive a few minutes ago, shattered completely once again. Kohli, standing under the blinding lights, stared into nothingness while AB de Villiers who batted with the perfection of a machine in the tournament, could do nothing but feel helpless. 

One could feel that something must have died inside those two stalwarts and the millions of RCB fans that night. A night which seemed to be ethereal just an hour back, had now turned into an absolute nightmare. A nightmare which still haunts RCB and its fans to this day. 9  years have passed since that night and RCB have finally found themselves in an IPL Final once again, still in the search for their first trophy. 

2017-19 were nothing but horrendous for the franchise. They didn't qualify even once for the Playoffs and were considered one of the weaker teams of the tournament. 2020-24 were fairly good for RCB as they made it to the Playoffs in 4 out of the 5 seasons but unfortunately couldn't reach the Final even once.  RCB were eliminated in the Eliminator itself in 2020, '21 and '24 while they did manage to reach the Qualifier 2 in 2022 but winning the title was not meant to be. 

Also Read:

After a breathtaking chase against LSG, RCB finished at the 2nd position in the league stage and then went on to demolish PBKS in the Qualifier 1 in a one sided manner to secure their place in the Final. With the balance of the present squad, RCB have definitely looked good in the season but they still have the biggest task ahead of them. They've reached a total of 3 Finals but have never been able to cross that last hurdle and that in itself is a fact that could make you nervous and scared, rightfully so. 

RCB have had a long history of missing out on opportunities and they will be itching to turn the tables this time around. The one thing that RCB fans bring in every year, irrespective of the circumstances, is hope. A ray of hope that never diminishes. This time RCB do have a chance of going over the line but it will be important for them to not keep their past in mind if they have to bury those ghosts that have been haunting them for the past 18 years. 

Virat Kohli would like to finish the job himself this time, unlike 2016 where he was dismissed while RCB were in a commanding position. It is also quite clear that he doesn't have too many seasons remaining in the IPL, considering that he has already retired from Tests and T20Is. A legend like him, who has been one of the greats of the game, definitely deserves that trophy.  

A team which has waited almost two decades for the title, now once again has the chance to script history. The squad of 2025 will step onto the field on Tuesday with the same goal and same dream of winning the IPL for RCB, which was seen by the former players of the franchise. Captain Rajat Patidar will have the chance to achieve something which couldn't be done by legends like , Daniel Vettori, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis over so many years. The RCB fanbase must be full of nerves at this point but the only thing they need to have is hope. Hope for the best outcome- a result opposite of the 2016 Final.

MI defeated GT in the Eliminator and thus MI will now face PBKS in the Qualifier 2 on Sunday in Ahmedabad. The winner of that clash will face RCB on 3rd June, Tuesday at the same ground.