On this day in 2008 – All-round dominance helps RCB beat DC

The 2008 season was not the most memorable of IPLs for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Despite the constant struggles throughout the season, it produced a few memorable moments. RCB had beaten their South Indian rivals Chennai Superkings in an away game in a memorable comeback and now were up against the Deccan Chargers. Even without the pressure of a top-four race, the team needed no bigger motivation than to prove to themselves that they could compete with the other teams. With only two games left, they had pride to play for too.

Having elected to bat first, the Deccan Chargers, in a similar situation as RCB, kicked off their innings in style. The fearsome opening pair of Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs finally came to the party. Having gotten their eye in, scoring 41 runs in the powerplay, the duo took full toll during the middle overs, as RCB struggled to maintain control. The first five overs after the powerplay cost RCB 60 runs, as both Gilchrist and Gibbs brought up a century stand.

With RCB desperately needing to breaking the partnership, Anil Kumble was given the ball, and he delivered. Gibbs tried to charge him, was beaten, and Sreevats Goswami completed the stumping. Gilchrist tried to attack Vinay Kumar in the very next over, and he fell prey to his own greed, as he managed to loft the ball only to B Akhil at long-off. The fall of the two superstars opened the floodgates, as Deccan Chargers soon lost Chamara Silva and the rising star of world cricket, Rohit Sharma. The Deccan Chargers had relinquished the control they had gained over the game and were now found themselves 4 wickets down for 123 with 5 overs to go.

With the innings going nowhere, Venugopal Rao took matters into his own hands, and went after Anil Kumble. The last three overs of the veteran Bangalore leggie’s spell went for two sixers and a four, and spoilt his spell which had gone for only 17 runs till then. Despite the occasional flurry of boundaries, there was no consistency in Chargers’ hitting, as they kept losing wickets. The final three overs of the innings only went for 16 runs, and the Chargers lost their remaining six wickets, bringing their innings to a crumble and halt. Vinay Kumar, who was taken for 14 runs in his first over, made a wonderful comeback, giving away only 13 runs in the remaining three and picking up 3 crucial wickets, as Deccan Chargers folded for 165.

Vinay Kumar was adjudged the player of the match for his spell of 4 overs for 27/3 which brought RCB back into the game

The RCB run-chase endured a start-stop fate. RCB openers, Jacques Kallis and Wasim Jaffer got off to a brisk start, putting on 24 runs in 15 balls, but Jaffer was run out on the 16th. Kallis and Misbah stitched a steady partnership, of 22 runs, and just when the innings seemed ready for a takeoff, Jaffer, running for Kallis failed to make his ground as Chamara Silva’s direct hit brought an end to the partnership. At the halfway stage, RCB still needed 105 runs to win, and Misbah recognized the need for urgency.

With Deccan Chargers finding it hard to fill the fifth bowler’s quota, Misbah decided to score a few quick runs against Venugopal Rao and succeeded in taking 18 runs off the eleventh over of the innings. However, the joy was short-lived, as Misbah, going for another big hit found long-on in the very next over. The constant fall of wickets every time RCB looked on-course meant the innings had no momentum and was struggling to get ahead in the run-chase. With the pressure of the asking rate mounting, Cameron White and Dravid had to try something to break the lull, and they managed it with a six each off Ravi Teja. With five overs to go and 60 runs still to be scored, Rahul Dravid creamed a hattrick of boundaries against Sanjay Bangar, but following the pattern of the innings thus far, lost his wicket off the next ball. 

RCB still needed 43 off the last 4 overs, and White had no choice but to keep looking for boundaries. 14 runs off the 17th over brought the required rate below 10-an-over off the final three. When Virat Kohli deposited Chaminda Vaas’s first ball of a new spell for a boundary over mid-wicket, RCB were for the first time ahead of the chase. But, Kohli went for a shot too many and lost his wicket. The positive for RCB however, was that they had kept on fighting despite the constant fall of wickets and kept themselves in the run-chase. 

Balachandra Akhil walked in, with the game still in the balance, RCB needing 25 off the last 16 balls. He played two outrageous scoop shots off the veteran campaigner Chaminda Vaas, to bring the target down to 16 off the last 2 overs. With the Chargers having to bowl at least one over from a part-timer, Chamara Silva was entrusted with bowling the 19th over. Akhil saw the opportunity to become a hero and took the opportunity he did. He smashed Chamara Silva for 3 sixers in the over and finished the run-chase with an over to spare. Akhil had played the perfect cameo of 27 off 7 balls to finish off the chase. RCB had chased down 165 by 5 wickets.