IPL 9, Final: RCB v SRH – 5 Talking Points

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snatched a delightful 8 runs win over the hosts and favorites Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to lift their maiden IPL title. It was a high-scoring thriller between both the teams. It was skipper David Warner yet again who led his team from the front and set the platform for the win. After electing to bat first, the SRH side posted a massive 208/7 with the help of half-century from Warner and quickfire cameos from Yuvraj Singh and Ben Cutting. In reply, RCB got off to a blazing start. Chris Gayle went berserk with the bat but unfortunately lost his wicket at a crucial time. The SRH bowlers then pulled back wonderfully and pocketed the match pretty easily to stun the home crowd. 

1.David Warner plays skippers knock:

David Warner was once again at his brutal best and led his team from the front. The ‘traditionalist’ David Warner, after opting to bat first, went out to open the innings and batted with intent. He gave a perfect start to the innings and took SRH to a dominating position in the match. Unluckily, SRH were dealt with a major blow after he was dismissed in the 14th over after scoring 38 balls 69 runs knock.

2. Cutting rips through RCB:

Ben Cutting literally made the crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium go silent with this rollicking cameo. The Australian all-rounder came in 16th over and ransacked the RCB bowlers, smashing 39 runs off just 19 balls including 4 sixes and two fours to propel SRH over the 200 runs mark. He came in the 16th over and went after Shane Watson and Chris Jordan right away. Watson, especially, suffered a lot at the hands of Cutting. Watto gave away 35 runs in the two overs he bowled at the right-hander. The brutality of Cutting’s batting was such that the last three overs saw 52 runs coming off it, taking SRH to 208/7 at the end of 20 overs.

3. Chris Gayle goes ‘Bang Bang’:

The target was a steep one but Chris Gayle looked determined and batted in a murderous mood. He went berserk right from the start. The Jamaican giant clobbered the opposition without any hesitation and put up a lightning quick 114 runs stand for the opening wicket with Virat Kohli. The left-hander did the bulk of the scoring while Kohli took the back seat. The match looked totally in favor of the RCB but unfortunately, he lost his wicket in the 11th over after scoring 76 from 38 balls.

4.  Bowlers claw back:

Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli had floored the opposition completely and threatened to take the match away single-handedly. But, the SRH bowlers amazingly pulled their side back into the game by claiming both the crucial individuals and then slowly gaining an upper hand over the match and eventually pilot their team to a famous victory. Ben Cutting deserves massive credit for the turnaround; First of, he broke the dangerous 1st wicket stand with the wicket of Gayle and later snapped KL Rahul at a vital stage in the game. Barinder Sran, who dropped two catches today, claimed the most important wicket of the night – Virat Kohli – to shun the crowd at the stadium. Later Mustafizur Rahaman (1/37) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/25) then bowled exceptionally at the death and eventually averted RCB from chasing the target.

5. Heartbreak for Virat Kohli & Co:

The inspiring IPL journey of Virat Kohli & Co. came to a heartbreaking end today. It was a dramatic season for the Virat Kohli-led side who came back from the bottom of the table to seal a place in the final. The day itself began an unfavorable manner after Kohli lost the toss. Later, his bowlers looked toothless as David Warner, Yuvraj Singh and Ben Cutting powered to a formidable total. In the 2nd innings, RCB lost their track in the chase after a wonderful start. KL Rahul, Shane Watson, AB de Villiers failed when it mattered the most and were utter flops.