IPL Rewind – 2009: Deccan Chargers rise from the bottom
After an immensely successful kick-off in 2008, it was time for the second season of the all-exciting T20 league in 2009. The year being one such when the general elections were due in India, the IPL had to be shifted in its entirety to South Africa pertaining to security and logistical challenges.
The Deccan Chargers had a terrible season in 2008 and they finished right at the bottom in the list of 8 teams. In what was a rag to the riches story, the team turned their fortunes miraculously and grabbed all eyeballs as they ended up winning the title for 2009.
The beginning
DC started their campaign on a winning note against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Cape Town and initiated a 4 match-winning streak through their first victory as they went on to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Chennai Super Kings in the following three encounters. DC had a rather chaotic ride after pocketing 8 points as it suffered a hat-trick of losses beginning from their match against Delhi Daredevils and followed by Rajasthan Royals and CSK.
The match lost against CSK was a major dent as DC tumbled out for just 100 runs chasing 179 in 20 overs. The team made a comeback strongly against MI at Centurion where they defended 145 by dismissing a dominant batting side like MI for 126. DC’s sporadic run continued as they lost the next match against Kings XI Punjab at Kimberley by 3 wickets and followed it by a comprehensive 53-run win against RR at the same venue.
In its next three league encounters, DC lost to DD by 12 runs; won against KKR by 6 wickets to make it a double; lost against KXIP in a thriller by just 1 run, and established a perfect alternative win-loss sequence in the tournament. They ended the league stage on a low by losing against RCB in Centurion by 12 runs but made it into the playoffs with 7 wins and as many losses in 14 league face-offs.
The knock-outs
The greatest wicket-keeper batsman, my captain when Deccan Chargers won IPL in 2009 and a wonderful person, wish you a very happy birthday @gilly381 pic.twitter.com/ahbhhJbB29
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) November 14, 2017
DC was pitched against DD, a team that had defeated them twice in the league stage and ended as table-toppers, for the semi-finals. However, this time around, DC rose up to the occasion and made a comeback by winning an all-important clash by 6 wickets to sail through the finals and bring DD’s IPL 2009 journey to an end.
The grand final was nicely set up between a team that finished last and second-last in the table of 2008. Having won the toss, RCB invited DC to bat first. Kumble jolted them straight away as he dismissed the destructive and in-form Adam Gilchrist for a duck. The team managed to post only 143 for 6 courtesy Herschelle Gibbs’ 53 and Andrew Symonds’ 33.
Being aware that the target was not too big and RCB had the likes of Kallis, Kohli, and Uthappa, DC’s bowlers made sure to attack and control runs right from the start. Their strategy worked as RCB started losing wickets under the pressure of not being able to score freely. Spinners Pragyan Ojha, Andrew Symonds, and Harmeet Singh bagged 7 wickets between them in 12 overs giving away just 69 runs.
With 15 runs required off the last over, Harmeet Singh ensured to defend it for his team as DC restricted RCB at 137/9 and went on to clinch the final by 6 runs.
