IPL 9, Final: RCB v SRH - Combined XI

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad will battle it out at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore tomorrow to decide the champion of IPL 9. The tournament has been a bumpy ride for both the finalists. RCB, who started off as one of the hot favourites, faced a tough time before their campaign jetted off, thanks to their magical skipper Virat Kohli. Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, was termed as the dark horses and lived up to the reputation. Both teams have had wonderful performers in their line-ups who have contributed vastly in their journey to the finals. So, before going into tomorrow’s big game, we try to amalgamate the top performers from both the sides and form a combined XI for the finals. 1. David Warner – SRH: David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI) David Warner can surely be called as ‘The Captain Marvellous’ of the IPL. There’s no doubt that what Virat did for RCB is by far the most superior thing this IPL. But, RCB were not as dependent on Kohli like SRH were on Warner. The Australian has literally carried the batting responsibility of the SRH side throughout the tournament. Except two or three off days, he performed in almost every game. He was the architect of their win over Gujarat Lion in the 2nd Qualifier. The left-hander surely knows these things and would try to give out his best against RCB. A match-defining knock like the one he played against Lions can surely be anticipated from the tough Aussie opener. RCB v SRH preview – IPL 9, Final Preview: Royal Challengers Bangalore on the brink of lifting premier title 2. Virat Kohli – RCB: Virat Kohli RCB. (Photo Source: BCCI) The RCB skipper has literally left people short of words to describe him. His batting performances have been incredible but what makes him more intriguing as an individual is his determination and strong will power. RCB were languishing at the 7th in the points table at the halfway stage of the tournament and needed to win 4 out of their five remaining games to avoid elimination. This pressure brought the best out of the Kohli – both as a leader and also as a player. He scored century after century and led his team to the finals almost single-handedly. Tomorrow is the biggest day of the IPL journey and Virat will not settle as the second best at any cost. So, expect yet another batting master class from the ace. 3. AB de Villiers – RCB: AB de Villiers and Iqbal Abdullah. (Photo Source: BCCI) AB de Villiers has been the second in command in the RCB batting lineup. He has come to the rescue whenever the openers have failed and is currently the third highest run-getter in the tournament with 382 runs at 56.63. It was a perception that de Villiers fails when it comes to chasing targets under pressure but he quashed all those theories in the first Qualifier. The fighting 79 against Lions is still fresh in the minds of the cricket fans. He looks in fine form and will be surely waiting to get out and do whatever it takes to hold the silverware. 4. KL Rahul – RCB: Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Lokesh Rahul. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) KL Rahul has re-invented himself as a T20 cricketer this season. The tall wicket-keeper batsman, who was deemed a misfit in this format, surprised everyone with his aggressive stroke play. Rahul gave many breezy starts to the RCB batting with skipper Virat Kohli. So far, he has 386 runs in 13 games at an average of 48.25. Whether he will open or bat at number four in the finals remains to be seen but he surely has a vital role to play for his team in the biggest match. 5. Shane Watson – RCB: Virat Kohli and Shane Watson. (Photo Source: BCCI) Shane Watson has also been performing really well. ‘Watto’, who was surprisingly picked for the national team earlier this year, has maintained his form brilliantly in the IPL as well. He didn’t get any considerable opportunity with the bat considering the fact that Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers bat ahead of him. But, his contribution to RCB as a bowler has been outstanding. With 20 wickets in 15 games, he will enter tomorrow’s final as the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament. His performance with the ball has been very vital for Bangalore. Fulfilling the role of an effective seamer in the team, he has snapped most of his wickets in crunch situations, bringing back his team in the game. 6. Yuvraj Singh – SRH: Yuvraj Singh. (Photo Source: BCCI) Valuable contributions from Yuvraj Singh with the bat have helped the otherwise fragile Sunrisers middle look solid. He has not put any eye-grabbing performances. But, a couple of his knocks can be rated highly. His crucial 44 runs knock against KKR in the eliminator and the 39 runs breezy cameo against Mi in the league stages have been reassuring and the team will surely look upto the champion player to guide them through if the situation arrises in the final. 7. Moises Henriques – SRH: Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Moises Henriques (C) celebrates the wicket. (Photo by NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty Images) Moises Henriques took some time initially to get going before he began to perform. The Australian all-rounder has batted at no.3 in the last few games. Just like Yuvi, Henriques was a little inconsistent but he stood up for the team when it mattered the most. He made up for his average batting performance by doing well with the ball, claiming 12 wickets in the 16 games. His best bowling show came against KKR in the Eliminator, where he snapped 2/17 and won the man of the match award. 8. Yuzvendra Chahal – RCB: Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: BCCI) Yuzvendra Chahal has emerged as the best leg-spinner in the tournament. Chahal has been a regular performer in the IPL but this season has been extraordinary. The skinny leggie bowled brilliantly for his team right from the start of the tournament and has been the backbone of the RCB bowling side which was heavily damaged by poor form and injuries problems. Chahal has 20 wickets in the 12 games he has featured in the squad this season. 9. Barinder Sran – SRH: Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Barinder Sran celebrates the wicket. (Photo by NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty Images) Barinder Sran has also lived up to his promise. The lanky left-arm pacer has had reasonable success with the ball and played the perfect supporting role to the lead bowlers. He has from time to time provided his team with opening breakthroughs and has been economical at the death as well. The previous season with Kings XI Punjab wasn’t very fruitful but after 13 wickets in 13 games to his name, Sran surely has many takeaways from this season. 10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – SRH: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: BCCI) Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the current purple cap holder has shown great improvement. Coming back from injury, Bhuvi showed remarkable skills and has been the bowling spearhead for SRH in the absence of veteran teammate Ashish Nehra. Kumar has been very effective overall. He has taken wickets with the new ball and bowled fabulously in the death overs. Also, with Mustafizur Rahman uncertain due to niggles, he is likely to be the bowling trump card for SRH in the big final. 11. S. Aravind – RCB: Sreenath Aravind. (Photo Source: BCCI) The steady left-arm seamer has been the silent performer for the RCB. Their bowling attack which looked toothless in the first half of the tournament became highly effective in the second half. Much credit goes to Srinath Aravind for this revival. He has consistently contributed to the team with wickets and/or economical bowling spells. Though the Bangalore wicket isn’t one for the bowlers skipper Kohli would still expect the native seamer to get him the wickets.

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IPL 9, Final: RCB v SRH - Combined XI

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