The wishes of many cricket fans will get fulfilled on Tuesday when the IPL trophy is lifted by a first-time champion.
While IPL supporters have formed deeply entrenched loyalties, a sizeable number would be pleased that if not their team, there will at least be a new champion – and that, too, a franchise that has been down in the dumps for the best part of two decades.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings have waged their own battles in the IPL, and most of it has got nothing to do with the actual trophy.
Bengaluru have one the most incredible fan bases in franchise cricket – deeply loyal with almost unconditional support despite no trophies.
They have had some of the greatest names in T20 cricket in their line-up over the years but missed the mark every year, for a variety of reasons.
But there were two constants that kept the franchise running and growing – their fans and Virat Kohli. The star India batter has lifted all major white-ball trophies at international level, but the absence of the IPL silverware in the cabinet is particularly painful for a player who has pledged his allegiance to the franchise for the rest of his playing days.
Kohli has had great support cast over the years – be it AB de Villiers or Chris Gayle. But it was still not enough, mainly because the franchise would get fixated on one or two names and then forget that they need to have a balanced squad.
This year, Bengaluru finally learnt from their mistakes, made quality selections before and during the player auction – like Phil Salt and Josh Hazlewood - and backed their local players diligently; their leadership pair of Jitesh Sharma and Rajat Patidar may not be outstanding but have been inspiring.
If RCB lift the title on Tuesday in Ahmedabad, it would mark the completion of a two-decade long journey that has suffered catastrophic derailments but somehow still maintained momentum.
Standing in their way is a side that has had an even more painful existence. Bengaluru at least had superstars, a loyal fanbase and the biggest name in cricket associated with their team. Punjab barely cropped up in conversations.
The franchise had become the laughing stock of the IPL, propping up the points table more often than not. They didn’t even possess a strong local identity in their squad, failing to capitalise on their fertile domestic T20 landscape.
So much so, before the tournament started, Lucknow’s new captain Rishabh Pant said his only worry during the auction was landing up at Punjab.
Turns out, all Punjab needed was a world-class coach in Ricky Ponting and a blockbuster partnership with the golden boy of Indian cricket – Shreyas Iyer.
Punjab first tapped into the enviable supply line of young T20 players in the northern region and put together one of the strongest outfits. Young guns like Priyansh Arya (451 runs) and Prabhsimran Singh (523 runs) flourished after being given the freedom to bat without fear. In bowling, Arshdeep Singh (18 wickets) was excellent as always, while veteran leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (15 wickets) found a spring in his step under new leadership and clarity of vision.
What held it all together was the galvenising leadership of Iyer.
The 2024 IPL winning captain had surprisingly been released by Kolkata. That was a period of great uncertainty in his professional career. Despite being the unsung hero of India’s run to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Iyer found himself out of the national team and central contract system over unspecified disciplinary issues pertaining to availability for domestic cricket.
While most players who receive such censure take a time to recover, Iyer turned on the afterburners right away and blazed through every single competition over the past season and a half, as if to prove a point.
Having won the IPL title at Kolkata, Iyer guided his local team Mumbai to the domestic T20 title last year, played a winning hand in the final of the first-class tournament, was India’s leading run getter in their victorious campaign in the Champions Trophy in Dubai earlier this year, regained his central contract with the national team and has now blasted 603 runs to guide Punjab to the IPL final.
His unbeaten knock of 87 from 41 balls in a 204-run chase against Mumbai in the second qualifier – that ran well into the night due to rain delays – was the defining knock of this year's IPL, and possibly Iyer’s career.
It proved beyond doubt that the 30-year-old is the biggest match winner in Indian cricket – at par with Jasprit Bumrah. Players look up to him because of his incredible results over the past two seasons and the manner of his comeback from unexpected demotion; at one point, Iyer was being seen as the next captain of the national team before falling out of favour. India now have three different captains of the national team, but Iyer is not part of the conversation in any of them.
If Punjab win the IPL, it will provide a clear identity to the franchise, to go with their magnificent new base at the Mullanpur stadium, and cement Iyer's position at the forefront of Indian cricket and batting. Even if Punjab lose, Iyer would have done his job and it will then be up to Indian cricket and its stakeholders to make the most of Iyer’s golden run of form.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
The%20specs
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Honeymoonish
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The view from The National
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
