On this day in 2009: Deccan Chargers’ epic comeback with IPL win
The Deccan Chargers didn’t have the best of campaigns in the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they finished in the second half of the points table. But the team, captained by Adam Gilchrist, made amends in the next year when South Africa hosted the event. They beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six runs in the final at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
The final turned out to be a nail-biting affair, though it wasn’t a high-scoring encounter. After being put in to bat first, the Chargers didn’t have a great start as RCB skipper Anil Kumble got his opposite number, Gilchrist, for a three-ball duck. Vinay Kumar sent back Tirumalasetti Suman in the fourth over to put more pressure on the Chargers’ batting. But Andrew Symonds played with freedom.
The right-hander smashed four fours and one six in his 21-ball 33 before Kumble rattled his woodwork. In the ninth over, with the score at 58 for three, the pressure was on the Hyderabad-based team. Herschelle Gibbs went on to score a half-century off 47 balls and was looking set, having hit three fours and two sixes. He, along with Rohit Sharma, steadied the ship for the Chargers.
The duo stitched together a partnership of 52 runs for the fourth wicket off 7.3 overs. Kumble separated them by dismissing Rohit, who scored a 23-ball 24 with a four and a six each. Gibbs went on to stay unbeaten, but he couldn’t inject any momentum as the Chargers could only manage 143 for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs. At the halfway mark, the score looked under-par.
Deccan Chargers make an impressive comeback
The Challengers started the run-chase in a handsome manner after Jacques Kallis hit three fours. RP Singh removed him to strike first blood. Manish Pandey fell prey to Pragyan Ojha after scoring only four. Roelof van der Merwe smashed his way to a 21-ball 32 with one four and three sixes. Ojha dismissed him to give the Chargers a much-needed breather.
From there on, it was one-way traffic in favour of DC. Ross Taylor and Robin Uthappa scored 27 and 17 respectively, but their efforts went in vain as RCB ended on 137 for nine. However, it was Kumble, from the losing side, who won the POTM award for his four-wicket haul. For the Chargers, Ojha was the standout performer for his three-wicket haul.
