Mullanpur: Two old guards, still searching for their maiden coronation but playing with a newfound fire and determination, will be hoping to take a step closer to the promised land when they lock horns in a potentially blockbuster Qualifier 1 here on Thursday.

This has been quite a season for Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, both of whom have dished out some soul-stirring stuff over the course of the last two months to finish on top of the table and ignite hopes of finally landing their hands on the Holy Grail.

To get a taste of it though, they will first cross paths for a third time this season at the new PCA Stadium with barely anything separating them.

In a way, it'll be a clash of teams with nearly identical philosophies.

Royal Challengers, under the leadership of Mo Bobat (Director of Cricket Operations), have constantly tried to veer away from the superstar heavy culture of the old. They still have some icons to do the heavy lifting but at the same time they also have a blend of proven domestic performers and talented young players who have stepped up tremendously whenever the chips have been down.

Be it spinning all-rounder Krunal Pandya's sizzling unbeaten 73 against Delhi Capitals or the jaw-dropping 85 not out from stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma that saw RCB scale down a target of 228 against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday with consummate ease, it has been a season of teamwork for the three-time runners-up - quite unlike the sides of the past.

Royal Challengers also took a punt in the unheralded Rajat Patidar as the captain and the Madhya Pradesh star has impressed with his leadership skills, managing players expertly and making the right calls on the field whenever the pressure has been high. And all of it in a composed manner, similar to his predecessor Faf du Plessis.

It's still not clear if Patidar, nursing a finger injury, will captain on Thursday or play as an Impact Substitute, purely as a batter.

Punjab, one of the most underperforming sides in the IPL, too shook things up. They appointed Australian Ricky Ponting, one of the most successful captains in the history of the sport, as the head coach and picked Shreyas Iyer as the captain. The duo, who worked together in Delhi Capitals, have brought about a spectacular turnaround that has seen the franchise reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

While Ponting has been the mastermind behind the scenes, Iyer, who last year captained Kolkata Knight Riders to glory, has brought the same leadership acumen to his new employers. Together they've given young guns Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya and Nehal Wadhera the licence to thrill and the trio have boomed brilliantly.

Both the teams, who are almost neck and neck in the 35 meetings between them, will be banking heavily on their batters to get the job done on Thursday. What will give RCB extra confidence is their sizzling away form where they've lost just one game (it was supposed to their home match which got shifted due to inclement weather) and the brilliant chasing record (6 wins).

Punjab, on the other hand, have a fearless bunch hungry for glory.

A loss may not mean the end of the world considering the losing side gets an extra chance to seal the final ticket but neither would be wanting to take that detour.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Strengths

A refreshing change in RCB this season has been their collective batting might. Talisman Virat Kohli has brought his vintage form to lead the charts with 602 runs but solid contributions from the rest of the pack like Phil Salt (331), Rajat Patidar (271), Jitesh Sharma (237) and Tim David (187) have added more muscle to Challengers. Add match-winning performances from Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd, the Challengers now believe they can chase down any total, like they did against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. They now don't depend solely on the stars with heroes emerging every time they've been pushed into a corner.

Weaknesses

For the longest of time, the Achilles Heel for the Royal Challengers has been their bowling. It's not as bad as the past but sans Josh Hazlewood, who hasn't played since the game against Delhi Capitals on April 27 after injuring his shoulder, has looked vulnerable. Although Hazlewood has joined the team following a rehab programme in Australia, he didn't play in the final league game against LSG on Tuesday and RCB will be hoping the pacer is ready for the battle on Thursday. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal, have done well but have also leaked a lot of runs and duo will need to be at their best, considering Punjab's batting firepower.

Punjab Kings

When three of the top-order batters have scored more than 400 runs and are striking the ball in excess of 165, it's a no-brainer what their strength is. Skipper Shreyas Iyer (514) has led from the front with five fifties while Prabsimran Singh (499) and Priyash Arya (424), one of the centurions this season, have taken apart every bowler worth his salt. Throw in Nehal Wadhera (298), Shashank Singh (284) and Josh Inglis (197), Punjab bat deep with each of them possessing solid power. Giving them the edge has also been Iyer's excellent captaincy and head coach Ricky Ponting's tactics behind the scenes.

Punjab, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2014, are in untested waters and just how the batters cope up with pressure remains to be seen. Yes Iyer has seen it and done it with KKR and the Indian team but for most of the pack, such occasions are the first time. Another worrying factor has been their bowling but Yuzvendra Chahal's expected return should ease their concerns.

Weather/pitch

It's still summer in this part of the country and the mercury is set to peak to nearly 38 degrees Celsius on Thursday before climbing down to late 20s in the evening. The pitch at the new PCA Stadium was on the slower side at the start with batters struggling to force the pace. But things have changed drastically in the last two games with three 200-plus totals posted in four innings. So expect another batting beauty considering that's what both PBKS and RCB prefer.Shreyas Iyer

Quote -

It's a great achievement till now but really if you look back we haven't achieved anything yet. The vision for me was always to finish in the top two. It's a really happy group and we've enjoyed our time in each other's company for the last ten weeks but we've got another week to go yet.