Only in December, Rajat Patidar led Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This was only the second time in 14 years that MP reached the final of the BCCI’s domestic T20 tournament. But Shreyas Iyer’s Mumbai broke his heart. As the fate would have it, Iyer stands in his way again as Patidar leads Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 final. RCB have never won the title.
While Captain Iyer has already faced Captain Patidar thrice in IPL 2025, with RCB winning twice, including inflicting a 101-run all-out humiliation on Punjab, a final is different. Iyer is more experienced leading a team and has already played two IPL finals, lifting the title with Kolkata Knight Riders last season. For Patidar, it’s an unknown territory. This is his first IPL final and he knows the difference.
“I saw Shreyas in the morning and said to him that this feels similar to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final. The difference is that this is the IPL final, and that was the Mushtaq Ali final,” Patidar said at the press conference ahead of the IPL final.
Bringing it home Mumbai
Congratulations to our brilliant team
Been a pleasure to lead such a team of champions! pic.twitter.com/vl9vEpUlbJ
— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) December 16, 2024
‘Job half done’
Not many gave Punjab Kings a chance when the IPL began. PBKS underwent yet another major overhaul with a new coach, new captain and almost a new squad. But captain Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting have turned things around after years of disappointment. Now, after 11 years, they are in another final. But for Iyer, the job is only half done. Just hours after leading his team to the IPL 2025 final, Iyer attended the press conference with barely four hours of sleep.
“After the win over Mumbai, I felt like my job was only half done. The job is not yet finished. We have a match on Tuesday, and I have to come back to play tomorrow. So, I was thinking that recovery is important, and how to prepare myself,” Iyer said.
While not many apart from RCB’s haters will be rooting for Punjab Kings to win the IPL title, for Iyer, it is about proving a point. He got no credit for leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title last season. All credits went to mentor Gautam Gambhir. His batting did not have the sparks either. But this season, he is PBKS’ leading run scorer. He played one of the best knocks of IPL playoffs, scoring an unbeaten 87 in Qualifier 2.
He has been a T20 discard. But now, many want him to captain India in T20Is and also in ODIs. With his enviable record in Ahmedabad, Shreyas Iyer will launch another bid at an IPL title with Ponting. And if he wins it, he can join the league of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
The post IPL 2025 Final: Shreyas Iyer stands in Rajat Patidar’s way again after Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final heartbreak appeared first on Inside Sport India.