Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lost out to Sunrisers Hyderabd (SRH) by eight runs in a dramatic final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Season Nine on Sunday at the Chinnaswami Stadium.
Requiring 209 runs in 20 overs with an asking rate of 12.54, Royal Challengers could only manage 200/7, though it got off to a flying start helped by a pounding Chris Gayle and a stable Virat Kohli.
Chris Gayle spearheaded the chase for Royal Challengers with a superb 38-ball-76. Dominating with the bat, he rarely gave chance to Kohli, so much so that he accounted for 74 of the first 100 runs score by RCB by the end of nine overs.
Smashing eight sixes and four fours, Gayle looked like interested in only hitting sixes as long as he was on the crease.
The capacity crowd in Chinnaswami Stadium was on the edge of the seat as long as Gayle was firing one six after the other, he looked unstoppable.
However, the Gayle show got over to a top edge catch held by Bipul Sharma off Ben Cutting.
Everything looked fine as Kohli was on strike to be followed by other reliable batsmen.
But that was not to be, Kohli also departed soon after Gayle, castled by Barinder Sran, he scored a 35-ball-54, with two sixes and four fours. But what followed later was an utter disappointment and heartbreak for the Royal Challengers.
No player scored more than 20 runs to see through a Royal Challengers victory but a collapse of wickets one after the other.
Abraham De Villiers (5), Lokesh Rahul (11), Shane Watson (11), Stuart Binny (9), Chris Jordan (3) and Sachin Baby (18 not out) did not rise up to the occasion, leading to an implosion.
De Villiers (5) misfired in the 14th over off B Sharma to be caught by Moises Henriques, Cutting bowled K. L. Rahul (11) in the 16th over. The scoreboard read 160/4 before the end of 16th over. At this point RCB needed 49 runs off 26 balls.
Later, Watson hit an aimless shot high up into the sky only to be caught by Henriques off Rahman. Now RCB was in big trouble.
The onus was on Roger Binny and Sachin Baby to rescue the match and win the trophy for RCB. Stuart Binny started off with a six.
By the end of 17 overs, RCB needed 37 runs off 18 balls. Celebrating until now, the crowd fell silent, patiently waiting to see what would happen, little did they realise what's in store.
Binny (9) was runout in the 19th over by Deepak Hooda. Chris Jordan was dropped by Sran right after Binny's runout near the boundary.
Later Baby hit a six keeping the hopes alive for RCB. In the final six balls Royal Challengers needed 18 runs, advantage Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Jordan took a single giving the strike to Baby. Now, this was Baby's opportunity to create history for RCB, took a double, 15 runs more from 4 balls.
Jordan was run out in the third ball by Ojha. 15 runs needed off three balls.
Finally, requiring 13 runs off the last ball, Baby managed a four towards the third man to take the score to 200/7 and finally lose the match and the tournament to SRH.
Ben Cutting produced the best bowling for SRH, he claimed two wickets giving 35 runs in four overs. While B. B. Sran, Mustafizur Rahman and Bipul Sharma took one wicket each.
Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad set a formidable target of 209 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Propelled by captain David Warner (69), Ben Cutting (39) and Yuvraj Singh (38), Surisers scored 208/7 in 20 overs.
Opening the innings with Shikar Dhawan, Warner started off slowly but then began scoring quick runs in a 38-ball-69, which included eight fours and three sixes.
Dhawan (28) and Warner played carefully, saving wickets until the seventh over when Dhawan got out to a long sweep shot at the boundary line, caught by Chris Jordan off Yuzvendra Chalal, and Warner, who had frustrated RCB for a long time, gave a simple catch straight to Kohli in the 14th over off Sreenath Arvind.
They posted a 69 run partnership off 40 balls to lay the foundation of the big score after Warner won the toss and chose to bat first.
Though Deepak Hooda (3), Moises Henriques (4) and Naman Ojha failed with the bat, big hitting Yuvraj Singh and Cutting rose to the occasion in the middle and final overs respectively.
With four fours and two sixes, Yuvraj looked set for a big score, until he was caught by Watson off Chris Jordan.
It was however Cutting who gave nightmare moments to Royal Challengers in the final overs, when he smashed 39 runs which included four sixes and three fours of just 15 balls.
In the last over off Watson, Cutting plundered 24 runs, hitting three sixes and a four. One of his huge sixes went over the roof, needing a new ball to be brought in.
Though Royal Challengers looked good with the ball in the beginning, they gave away too many runs in the final overs. In the last 42 balls, RCB leaked 82 runs while claiming five wickets.
Aravind produced the best bowling with 2/30 while Jordan claimed three wickets but proved costly with an economy rate of 11.25.
Chahal (1/35) was the only other bowler to claim a wicket with the Royal Challengers gave away 20 extras.
Chris Gayle was adjudged the man of the match for his 76.
Sunrisers Hyderabad 208/7 in 20 overs (David Warner 69, Ben Cutting 39; Chris Jordan 3/45, Sreenath Aravind 2/30) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 200/7 (Chris Gayle 76, Virat Kohli 54; Ben Cutting 2/35, Bipul Sharma 1/17).
--IANS
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