The China Mail - Kohli and Bengaluru eye second IPL crown in final against Gujarat

The 37-year-old Kohli has been central to Bengaluru's efforts since their first title in the T20 tournament last year.

Batting great Kohli will be back at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's biggest cricket ground and the venue of Bengaluru's triumph in 2025.

Bengaluru topped the 10-team table at the end of the league stage, and beat Gujarat in the first play-off to secure direct entry into the final.

However, Gujarat bounced back from their defeat in style.

Gujarat hammered Rajasthan Royals in the last play-off to qualify for their third final in five years, winning the title in 2022.

"In the IPL and actually in any form of cricket, you have to remain reasonably level regardless of the result," Gujarat's director of cricket Vikram Solanki said.

"If you come off the back of a defeat, you can't get too low -- because, more often than not, you're preparing for the next game."

Skipper Shubman Gill, who is also India's Test and ODI captain, hit 104 in New Chandigarh on Friday.

The 26-year-old has scored 722 runs, putting him second in the batting chart behind Rajasthan's 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on 776.

Gill's opening partner, Sai Sudharsan, is third with 710 runs.

The pair have laid the foundation of Gujarat's success.

"I can only imagine all of the work that Shubman has put in throughout his career to get to where he is, as far as batting is concerned," said former England batter Solanki.

"He's an exceptional young man.

"To be playing the cricket that he is, to be batting the way he is, is just phenomenal."

- 'Experience counts' -

Kohli, who has stepped away from Test cricket and T20 internationals, has scored 600 runs this season, including one century and four half-centuries, at an average of 50.00 in 15 matches.

Bengaluru's director of cricket Mo Bobat said "everybody understands what Virat Kohli brings -- his intensity, his fight, his hunger".

"Experience counts for a lot in pressure games, but I think it also speaks volumes for their personalities and character," Bobat said.

Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar stepped up his game in the first qualifier, hammering an unbeaten 93 off 33 balls.

His knock, after Kohli's attacking 43, paved the way for Bengaluru's mammoth total of 254 in a 92-run thrashing of Gujarat.

"Any team whose captain is playing well, gets greater confidence from that," said Bobat.

"We're becoming accustomed to seeing these sorts of knocks from him now. He played some outrageous shots, but also really the aggressive intent... that's leading by example."

The final is expected to draw a crowd of more than 100,000 fans.

D.Pan--ThChM