Bangalore Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers, IPL final, Johannesburg

Deccan snatch title in tense finish

May 24, 2009

Deccan Chargers 143 for 6 (Gibbs 53*, Kumble 4-16) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 137 for 9 (Ojha 3-28, Symonds 2-18) by six runs

How they were out

	Andrew Symonds was gutted when he got out, but made up with his aggressive fielding and body language, and smart bowling © Associated Press

Deccan Chargers invoked the bull in their emblem to successfully defend a modest total, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore and win a tournament they had ended up last in the previous season. They bowled with fire, fielded aggressively and sledged and hustled - almost literally - to victory in a final that twisted and turned and lived up to the occasion.

The last of those turning points was the 15th over, bowled by Andrew Symonds, who matched his verbal skills from earlier in the night with the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli off back-to-back deliveries. Bangalore were 99 for 6 when the over started, and Taylor had looked dangerous during his 20-ball 27. That Symonds over, though, was symbolic of the night: every time a batsman got away from the bowling, a breakthrough pulled the batting side back.

Defending a total three less than what Bangalore chased easily in the semi-final, Deccan came out pumped, their energy reflecting in their behaviour. Symonds shadowed the latest tyro, Manish Pandey, all the way from the dugout to the crease. Pandey was a marked man during his innings. Symonds followed him wherever he went, giving him lip. Ryan Harris matched the aggression with the ball, clocking 145kmph constantly in the first over, a maiden.

Jacques Kallis looked to take the pressure off his 19-year-old partner. In Harris' next over Kallis took two boundaries to get the chase going. RP Singh brought the balance back when Kallis pulled onto his stumps but out came Roelof van der Merwe, who used adrenalin to push Bangalore further towards the target.

Prime Numbers 31 Runs scored by Deccan during the Powerplay. It was their least score in the first six overs this season 152.30 Adam Gilchrist's strike-rate, the best for any batsman with more than 250 runs 23 The number of wickets that earned RP Singh the purple cap. Kumble was second with 21 2 Number of times Kumble has taken four wickets or more in the tournament. Yusuf Abdulla and Shadab Jakati are the others with two 2 Number of times in seven games the team batting first has won a night game in Johannesburg

van der Merwe got a mouthful from Symonds and Harris, but he responded by hitting two sixes off one Harris over. Despite the maiden, Harris had gone for 23 in three overs. Even after Pragyan Ojha got Pandey with the first ball he bowled, van der Merwe's pyrotechnics kept Deccan at a distance.

One ball summed up the adrenalin rush van der Merwe was feeling. Beaten in the flight by Ojha he managed an edge which saved him from being stumped but he also dropped his bat. He picked his bat up as he ran the first run, and turned a two into a three, saving himself from the run-out by sprinting down the middle of the pitch and diving into the stumps at the non-striker's end.

One six later the adrenalin got the better of van der Merwe as he jumped out to Ojha and was stumped. The tension was palpable, and it sort of got to a senior pro like Rahul Dravid too. As Bangalore targeted Harmeet Singh, Dravid missed a scoop and was bowled. Bangalore still held the edge, though, with Taylor and Mark Boucher in.

Taylor looked like taking Bangalore home coolly, hitting three fours and a six, until Symonds got him on the pull, with a touch of extra bounce. Adam Gilchrist pulled off a smart stumping down the leg side next ball, and it was all down to Boucher now.

Gilchrist tried to get through Harmeet's last over, during which the youngster claimed Boucher on the cut. The bowling allocation was planned perfectly: RP had two left, and Ojha and Harris one each. Bangalore, with two wickets in hand, needed 27 from the last two overs, and 15 from the last, but RP Singh and Ryan Harris kept their cool despite a six from Robin Uthappa.

Amid the tension of the second innings one felt for Anil Kumble, who spent the most of the last over at the non-striker's end and saw his dream crash. Earlier Kumble had celebrated like a teenager but bowled like the veteran champion he is, and kept Deccan down to a manageable target.

He bowled the first over of the match, took Gilchrist out, then came back in the ninth to dismiss Symonds. That wicket was crucial because Symonds had been dropped on 5 by Dravid, and was reminding Bangalore eerily of the line his batting partner Herschelle Gibbs was apocryphally told during the 1999 World Cup. Kumble again came on in the 17th over to break a dangerous 52-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Gibbs, when the two had taken Deccan to 110 for 3.

Towards the end Gibbs played a bizarre little innings. He had been inconspicuous in his struggle to score runs earlier, and didn't make much effort to farm the strike in the end. He faced only six balls in the last three overs, and kept taking twos in the last over to hand the strike over to Harris. He had batted the whole 20 overs for less than 60, much like Sachin Tendulkar, in more trying conditions, had in the first match of the tournament. Somehow they both ended up winning.

Bangalore Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers, IPL final, Johannesburg

Time to complete perfect turnaround

May 23, 2009

Match facts

May 24, 2009
Start time 16.30 local, (14:30 GMT)

Big Picture

	Anil Kumble has bowled like the champion he is © Associated Press

And so, as a blockbuster second season of the IPL reaches its summit, two of its biggest success stories clash in the finale in Johannesburg. They also happen to be the two most unlikely sides given how they fared in 2008. Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the two bottom-placed teams then, now they've busted out of the basement and made the house their own.

Not many would have given Deccan or Bangalore a chance this year to get to the top four. But having pulled off amazing turnarounds and tasted difficult periods earlier in the tournament, both teams have undoubtedly deserved to get where they are today.

Deccan started with four wins, imposed themselves, stumbled, but got it together when it mattered. The manner in which they - rather their captain Adam Gilchrist - crushed Delhi Daredevils in the semi-final was stirring. Gilchrist has led the side well and has been their top run-getter for the second season running. Apart from RP Singh, owner of the purple cap, there haven't been true stand-out performers. Herschelle Gibbs has been inconsistent, Pragyan Ojha has lost some bite in the latter stages, and while Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds have contributed they haven't been stunning.

If Deccan have been inconsistent, Bangalore reached the worst level of desperation. The last match they lost in this tournament was the last they could afford to. And they have won their last five games, much like Australia's victorious campaign in the 1999 World Cup.

The major factor in Bangalore's rise has been Anil Kumble, who took over the captaincy from a beleaguered Kevin Pietersen. In 2008 Bangalore's selections of a few final XIs raised some eyebrows, but most unflattering was their habit of choking when victory was in front of them. Kumble changed all that by setting an example that the seniors followed.

Bangalore's younger Indian players didn't start off well at all, but the seniors' performances started to rub off. Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar and Virat Kohli have chipped in with vital contributions to keep the team buoyant in the competition. This has been a team that has paid a lot of attention to preparation.

On form - they've won five in a row, four of them against semi-finalists - Bangalore are a confident side and will be boosted by the knowledge that they beat Deccan last time. However, after forcefully knocking out the top-ranked side in the semi-finals, Deccan will be confident as they face their southern compatriots. Both Gilchrist and Kumble have handled the captaincy with aplomb, and will not want to let the slightest chance go abegging.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWWW
Manish Pandey's rise has been exceptional. Hardly given a run last season, he delivered with the first IPL century by an Indian and followed up with another Man-of-the-Match effort in the semi-final. Statistically and psychologically Pandey's form will worry Deccan, because that century came against them. Cameos from Taylor and Kohli have come at right times, and Kumble and Roelof van der Merwe have delivered in pressure situations with their varieties of spin.

Deccan Chargers: WLLWL
Deccan rode into the final on Gilchrist's broad blade and shoulders; an encore should seal them the trophy. The bowling got itself together after Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virender Sehwag threatened to run riot, but what Deccan really need is for Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma to click. Gibbs made a duck after hitting a brisk half-century in the final league match, and Rohit has only one half-century in the tournament. If he can replicate either of the two flawless finishes against Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, Rohit can be a big threat.

Watch out for

Adam Gilchrist v Praveen Kumar: Brutal objective v crafty swing bowling. Cosmic experience v smart head on young shoulders. As it stands, it's 2-0 to Praveen. Surprising as it may sound, Praveen took Gilchrist out, early, in both the finals of the CB Series last year. In two matches this season Gilchrist has taken just 18 runs off 12 balls from Praveen. Gilchrist won't count it as a decisive comeback.

RP Singh v Manish Pandey: The IPL's highest wicket-taker against the latest young star to emerge. RP hasn't been at his best over the last few games, and Pandey has two Man-of-the-Match awards on the trot. During his century Pandey faced nine balls from RP, and took 20 runs, including a big six over long-on. RP has loads of experience to go with success against better batsmen, so how he varies his craft against an enthusiastic and trigger-happy opener is an intriguing battle.

	A typical big-match knock from Adam Gilchrist could make the final one-sided © Associated Press

Anil Kumble v Rohit Sharma and Gilchrist: Kumble has led superbly with the ball in Bangalore's winning streak. In Bangalore's last game against Deccan, Kumble dismissed Rohit first ball and allowed Gilchrist only five runs from eight balls. In their earlier match Rohit hit 24 runs off 10 Kumble deliveries and Gilchrist took 13 from 11. Kumble will need to be at his craftiest best against two of Deccan's sweetest hitters.

Team news

With B Akhil injured for the semi-final, Bangalore recalled R Vinay Kumar. His first three overs cost 32, but Vinay picked up Matthew Hayden and then Jacob Oram in the final over, which only cost six runs. He should keep his place, meaning Bangalore are likely to field an unchanged side.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: (probable) 1 Manish Pandey, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Roelof van der Merwe, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Robin Uthappa, 8 Mark Boucher (wk), 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 R Vinay Kumar, 11 Anil Kumble (capt.).

If D Ravi Teja recovers from a hamstring injury he may come back for Azhar Bilakhia. Ryan Harris should hold his place after that two-wicket first over against Delhi.

Deccan Chargers: 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt./wk), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 T Suman, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Azhar Bilakhia/D Ravi Teja, 7 Venugopal Rao, 8 Harmeet Singh, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 RP Singh.

Stats and trivia

• Eight batsmen have scored more than 350 in the tournament, but only one of them - Adam Gilchrist - will be on view in the final. Kallis, Bangalore's highest scorer, has an aggregate of 346.

• Teams chasing have won five out of six times in night games in Johannesburg. In all three games that Bangalore have played here, they've chased and won.

• Gilchrist has scored 86 runs off 63 balls in two innings against Bangalore. In contrast Kallis, Bangalore's highest run-scorer, has only scored 20 off 21 balls in two innings against Deccan. Pandey, though, scored 114 in just one game.

• Bangalore's five wins in a row equal's Chennai's winning streak earlier in the IPL, and is a record for this tournament.

Head-to-head record

The last time these teams met Pandey downed Deccan with a century in Centurion. Prior to that Gilchrist and Rohit's power-hitting ensured Deccan romped to a 24-run win earlier this season, in Cape Town. Bangalore won both their matches last year: the first one a thriller by three runs, and the next comfortably by five wickets.