NEW CHANDIGARH: As one edged closer to the New Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur on a hot Wednesday afternoon, the buzz on the road was evident. Scores of police officials were present inside and around the ground, fans were swarming the two counters open for tickets, and inside the ground, the Mumbai Indians could be seen grinding it out in their first training session. They, however, are not the ones to take centre stage immediately as MI will play Gujarat Titans in the eliminator on Friday.
At the break of dusk — one of the protagonists who will be in action on Thursday, table-toppers and a side that can call the venue home — Punjab Kings entered the ground. They are set to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 on Thursday.
It is only their second playoff appearance in 18 years. Their last playoff appearance came eleven years ago when Punjab, led by George Bailey, topped the table. RCB, on the other hand, have made multiple playoffs but never been able to go all the way. PBKS and RCB — along with Delhi Capitals – are the only three teams from the original eight franchises to not have an IPL trophy. Over the years, there have been several occasions where memes were made out of this.
This year, however, has been different. All three did extremely well, but DC sort of lost their way in the second half. Punjab and Bengaluru, meanwhile, sustained and now have a chance of making it to the finals. If they do, it will be Punjab's second final in 18 years. For RCB, it will be their fourth. On all six occasions, their opponents had the final say.
The ongoing season poses an opportunity where one of these two teams can actually end their long and tiring quest for a trophy. That storyline is for later. Thursday will be all about how the two teams that, more often than not, were made fun of, came to this point through contrasting journeys.
Take a look at Punjab. They are a team who have historically struggled to hold on to their core and show consistency on the field. Not in 2025. Under Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting, they have flourished like never before. Riding on the back of several uncapped Indian players — Shreyas surely has led the way — Punjab have been a force to reckon with. And they have their 'Sarpanch' to thank for it.
It is a title tag that the social media team came up with at the beginning of the season to address Shreyas. Sarpanch, in Punjabi, means along the lines of ‘head of village who takes care of everything for the people residing’. When the social media team came up with it, it might just have been a rhyming tagline that suits Shreyas, the captain. The Mumbaikar has truly lived up to it right through the tournament. And it all began in their opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders when Shreyas was batting at 97 but let Shashank Singh bat the entire final over. Shashank smashed 23 runs and PBKS won by 11 runs. Shreyas has led from the front not just with the bat, but has also set the template. Personal milestones have not mattered for Kings. Putting the team in a winning position has. From Priyansh Arya to Prabhsimran Singh to Nehal Wadhera to Shashank, they all followed their ‘sarpanch’.
Shreyas also showed why he is highly-rated tactically and should be in the reckoning for a leadership role with the national team. With Ponting by his side, he instilled a mentality that made Punjab the force they have become. "... if you look back, we haven't achieved anything yet. That's the one thing I've been saying to the players since the moment we qualified," said Ponting after finishing in the top two. Shashank echoed the sentiment: "Finishing in the top two is half the job done. The full job will be done on the 3rd of June, I guess. When it is late at night, at 12 o'clock, we will have a press conference. That will be the time I'll tell you that 'yes, we are at the top of the world'."
To get there, they will have to move past RCB on Thursday. This, however, is not an RCB side of the past. If anything, this has been their most well-rounded side in IPL history. Unlike yesteryears, they do not rely on the top-three to do the heavy lifting. Yes, Virat Kohli has 602 runs at 147 strike rate. But they also have Jacob Bethell, Phil Salt and Jitesh Sharma, hitting at a little over 170 strike rate. Tim David operates at 185 strike rate and Romario Shepherd’s strike rate is an astounding 353. They have all allowed Kohli to bat the way he does. With the ball, as many as four bowlers — led by Josh Hazlewood — have taken ten wickets or more. The likes of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma have been the trump card with the bowling unit complementing their batting force. As they come to Mullanpur on the back of the thrilling win against Lucknow Super Giants, RCB will be brimming with confidence.
As the New PCA Stadium gets ready for its first-ever playoff game, one of the taglines plastered around the venue reads 'The Last Mile'. Written in the banners between 'Tata IPL 2025' and 'Playoffs', the phrase signifies what this contest means to both PBKS and RCB. For it is the one hurdle both teams have not been able to cross in 18 years of IPL. Thursday, perhaps, is a great chance for both the teams. The winner will get a step closer to crossing the last mile. Who is that going to be? Time will tell.