Reliving the magical moments of the Indian Premier League Final, over the years

2. Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – IPL 2009

No one would have expected two teams that finished last on the points table in 2008 to make it to the finals the very next year. These two teams just managed to make it to the third and fourth positions on the points table. While the Chargers defeated Delhi Daredevils in the semis, the Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated CSK to enter the finals. Change of leadership worked wonders for both these teams and this final was a low-scoring one.

RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first. Deccan Chargers hopes relied heavily upon Adam Gilchrist who played a crucial knock in the semi-finals. However, the DC fans were left speechless after Anil Kumble sent him back to the pavilion in just three balls. His move to open the bowling paid off and DC was under some severe pressure. However, Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds came to their rescue. But they failed to convert their starts into big ones and the Chargers were restricted to just 143.

Chasing a paltry total of 144, it was no difficulty for the RCB to get their hands on the title. But some inspirational leadership from Adam Gilchrist didn’t let the RCB win the game. They fell short by a meager 6 runs and all their hopes shattered once Ross Taylor was dismissed. Although Robin Uthappa created a glimpse of a hope, his efforts were not sufficient.

Top Performers of the season

Deccan Chargers from Hyderabad won the second IPL trophy and they seemed to be over the moon. Anil Kumble was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ as he picked the crucial scalps of Gilchrist, Symonds, and Rohit Sharma. Adam Gilchrist was the ‘Player of the season’.

Brief Scores:
DC: 143/6 in 20 overs (Herschelle Gibbs 53*, Andrew Symonds 33, Anil Kumble 4/16)
RCB: 137/9 in 20 overs (Roelof van der Merwe 32, Ross Taylor 27, Pragyan Ojha 3/28)