It will be a show between the best batting line up in the IPL against the best bowling unit of the tournament. What better a match could we have asked for?
The road wasn’t easy for the Challengers as they had to overcome a series of defeats to get to where they are now. At one point, with 4 games remaining, they had to win all four of them in order to qualify for the play-offs.
And they did.
In the end, it was the heroics of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers that played a major role in getting them to the final after being on the brink of elimination.
At one point they looked dead and buried, but they defied the odds and came back strong to become the first team to qualify for the final.
There were plenty of memorable matches from their run that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Royal Challengers Bangalore came into the tournament as its most flamboyant team. With players like Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson, it was only natural to see so many eyes fixated towards them.
And they didn’t disappoint. In almost every game, their brilliant batting line-up (read: Virat Kohli and ABD) managed to get them to high scores.
It all began in their very first game itself. What happens when the best batting lineup faces the best bowling line-up? In this instance, the batting prevailed as a De Villiers-Kohli show was perfectly iced by a blistering cameo from Sarfaraz Khan.
The three joined hands (or bats, rather), to post a mammoth total of 227 runs. SRH did well, but not good enough as chasing such a gargantuan score was always an impossible task. In the end, although they finished with a respectable 182 runs, they target was too much for them and Bangalore romped home to a comfortable 45-run win.
#2 Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
This was, possibly, the only game where RCB’s bowling—and not their illustrious batting—won them the game in the end. It didn’t come without any hiccups, though, as even then Chris Jordan almost bottled it despite having 17 runs to defend in the last over.
It was also a rare game where Virat Kohli couldn’t amount to much as he got out for only 20 runs. But as they say, if Kohli doesn’t get you, ABD will and he duly obliged. He helped his team reach a defendable 175 by playing a well-paced 64.
Punjab started the chase incredibly well as newly appointed captain, Murali Vijay came down all guns blazing as he scored 89 of 57 balls. At one point, it seemed like the Kings would run away with the game, but they were halted by Shane Watson.
The Australian gave away only 22 runs in his 4 overs and also picked up 2 crucial wickets. His superb bowling in the 19th over meant that Chris Jordan had 17 runs to defend, which he almost gave away, but in the end managed to keep it down to 15 and helped RCB post a narrow 1-run win.
#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Lions
If one looks at the fixtures and results of this IPL, it would be safe to decipher that Gujarat Lions were the beating boys of our two finalists. Yes, they finished top of the league round, but that didn’t stop them from facing the embarrassment of losing by 144 runs at the hands of the Bangalore team.
Facing the wrath of Virat Kohli can destroy a team, but being the subject of the fury of both, AB de Villiers and India’s Test captain could mount to something else entirely.
And that is what happened to Gujarat. They didn’t know what hit them as both the South African and the Indian smacked a century each to get the score to a record, 248 in 20 overs.
GL were never in the game and bundled out for a puny 104, giving RCB a win by a record margin. This was the first time in T20 history that two players scored a century in the same innings. A delight to watch for the crowd gathered at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
#4 Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
At one point, it seemed like Bangalore would not qualify for the play-offs. Their incredibly star-studded batting was equally unbalanced by their lackluster bowling. However, when they needed 4 wins on a trot to seal qualification, a determined Virat Kohli fired them to it.
The final of the four games, the one that sealed their place in the second spot, was a memorable one for them as it shot them to glory from the brink of elimination. Having decimated Kings XI Punjab that shot up their run rate, RCB's path was still perilous as a defeat vs an inconsistent Delhi Daredevils meant they would have to rely on other results to go in their favour.
In this game, it was their bowling that impressed more as they halted Delhi Daredevils to a mediocre score of 138 in the first innings. Yuzvendra Chahal reclaimed the purple cap thanks to a 3-wicket haul in his designated 3 overs. He got support from an unlikely source as opener Chris Gayle bowled his way to 2 wickets in as many overs.
In response, Virat Kohli (54 not out) and KL Rahul (38) comfortably chased down the total and did justice to their batting line-up by sealing qualification in the play-offs. This 6-wicket win over Delhi meant that RCB would have 2 chances to qualify for the final as they finished second in the league table.
#5 Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Lions
Having been put to bat, Gujarat Lions' top order fell like a pack of cards as they saw themselves reeling at 9/3 after less than 4 overs. However, Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith put an end to that by playing sensibly. The former scored 26 before perishing while the latter ploughed his way to 73 and helped his team cross the 150-mark.
29/5 and then 68/6 while chasing a score of 159 was always going to put dents of worry on the faces of fans. It was an almost impossible task. Chris Gayle had fallen. The might Kohli had gone, too. So had the swashbuckling all-rounder Shane Watson.
It all depended on one man: the Superman from South Africa, AB de Villiers.
And he didn’t disappoint. Playing with utmost cautiousness from the beginning, he steadied his team’s ship to the point where they could see the land of victory. The only problem? No-one stood by beside him.
However, as he sailed on, he found a helper in the form of Iqbal Abdulla, who, himself, played a glorious knock to help AB de Villiers win the game from the fangs of defeat.
The jubilation of the fans and the players showed how much this 4-wicket win meant to them and they will all be even more fired up in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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