Anil Kumble is the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore for 2010 IPL season. Click on image to enlarge

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In a nail bitting match today, Deccan Chargers won the final by 6 runs to lift the astonishing DLF IPL trophy. After being asked to bat first by Royal Challengers, Deccan Chargers lost Gilchrist in the very first over. This was the priced wicket for Bangalore but Gibbs on the other end was firm and his innings of 53 runs along with useful contributions from Rohit and Symonds helped them to post a total of 143 in 20 overs.

Chasing that total, Royal Challengers Bangalore started off well but in the middle orders, the pressure of final was felt and the whole team crumbled. From 79/4 they went to 107/7 and thus in the final over they needed 15 runs. But a tight line and length by Deccan Charger’s Singh prevented them to score 15 runs and thus they lost it by 6 runs.

Highlights of Match
* Deccan Chargers Innings
* Deccan Chargers: 50 runs in 7.2 overs (47 balls), Extras 3
* Deccan Chargers: 100 runs in 14.5 overs (94 balls), Extras 7
* 4th Wicket: 50 runs in 43 balls (HH Gibbs 23, RG Sharma 24, Ex 3)
* HH Gibbs: 50 off 47 balls (3 x 4, 2 x 6)
* Innings Break: Deccan Chargers – 143/6 in 20.0 overs (HH Gibbs 53, RJ Harris 9)

* Royal Challengers Bangalore Innings
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 50 runs in 7.5 overs (48 balls), Extras 2
* Drinks: Royal Challengers Bangalore – 69/3 in 10.0 overs (R Dravid 4, LRPL Taylor 10)
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 100 runs in 14.4 overs (89 balls), Extras 4

Man of the match – A Kumble

Scorecard of IPL Final

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Who could have thought this in the wildest of his/her dreams that two of the so called underdogs of the IPL 2008 would be face to face in the finals on May 24, 2009. Deccan Chargers and Royal Challenger Bangalore had showed excellent team spirit and had just outplayed opposite teams at the right moments. Earlier Deccan Chargers showed door to Delhi Daredevils who were considered to be the strongest team in IPL – 2009. In second semi final, Royal Challenger Bangalore defeated the Chennai Super Kings lead by Dhoni which was also one of the strongest teams in this season. Not only the masses but experts and even bookies are shocked to see the final teams.

This season of Indian Premier League offered great entertainment to all cricket lovers and almost every match had a nail bitting finish. So lets hope that the final would also be a high tension sensational match and may the best team wins.

Match Details
Sunday, May 24
Start time 16.30 local (14:30 GMT) 8 pm Indian Standard Time

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Date – May 23, 2009
Result – Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 6 wickets

Chennai Super Kings Innings
Chennai Super Kings were asked to bat first by Royal Challengers after winning the toss. Chennai Super Kings got to a flying start with Hayden and Patel both being too severe on bowlers. But loosing both of them in quick succession, halted the Chennai Super Kings charge and they were able to score 146/5 in 20 overs. The target seem to be a moderate one and it looks that Chennai Super Kings bowler’s need to put up extra effort to save this match and cement the place in IPL Final.

FOW:M Hayden (61-1, 7), P Patel (69-2, 8.4), S Raina (104-3, 14.1), *MS Dhoni (125-4, 17.2), J Oram (140-5, 19.2)

Chennai Super Kings Innings Highlights
* Chennai Super Kings: 50 runs in 5.2 overs (32 balls), Extras 1
* 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 32 balls (PA Patel 32, ML Hayden 17, Ex 1)
* Drinks: Chennai Super Kings – 74/2 in 10.0 overs (MS Dhoni 8, SK Raina 3)
* Chennai Super Kings: 100 runs in 13.2 overs (81 balls), Extras 3
* Innings Break: Chennai Super Kings – 146/5 in 20.0 overs (JA Morkel 20, S Badrinath 1)

Royal Challengers Bangalore Innings
Hoping to secure a berth in the finals against Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore went to the center to chase 147. They lost Kallis and Merwe for cheap and it looked Super Kings would bounce back well. But Pandey and Dravid were certain to be in finals and they played really well to took Royal Challengers Bangalore close to victory. Though they both got out but Kohli and Taylor made sure that Chennai Super Kings are out of the finals race.

FOW:J Kallis (17-1, 1.4), Der Merwe (22-2, 2.5), M Pandey (94-3, 12.3), R Dravid (110-4, 15.1)

Royal Challengers Bangalore Innings Highlights
* Bangalore Royal Challengers: 50 runs in 5.1 overs (32 balls), Extras 1
* 3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 34 balls (M Pandey 30, R Dravid 21, Ex 1)
* Drinks: Bangalore Royal Challengers – 82/2 in 10.0 overs (M Pandey 43, R Dravid 26)
* Parthiv Patel kept for MS Dhoni from the first ball of the Royal Challengers innings
* Bangalore Royal Challengers: 100 runs in 13.5 overs (84 balls), Extras 3

Man of the match – M Pandey
Scorecard for Semi Final Of IPL -2

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May 23, 2009
Start time 16.30 local (14:30 GMT) 8pm Indian Standard Time

Today is the second semi final of Indian Premier League Season -2 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. Chennai Super Kings are hot favorite but Royal Challengers Bangalore have proved they can not be taken lightly after storming to the semi finals by defeating Deccan Chargers who have already entered the final. The winner of the match would take on Deccan Chargers in the finals on Sunday 24, 2009.

The probables are :-
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Jacob Oram/Michael Hussey, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Parthiv Patel, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Manpreet Gony, 9 L Balaji, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 R Ashwin.

Bangalore Royal Challengers: 1 Rahul Dravid, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Roelof van der Merwe, 8 Anil Kumble (capt) 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 B Akhil, 11 Mark Boucher (wk).

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Date – May 21, 2009
Result – Bangalore Royal Challengers won by 12 runs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Innings
Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and elected to bat. This match was very important for Royal Challengers Bangalore as its outcome would decide who will go to semi finals – Royal Challengers Bangalore or Kings XI Punjab. So it was a must win match for Royal Challengers Bangalore and the way they approached it it was certain that they wanted to win it at all cost. Pandey was the man for Royal Challengers Bangalore today. He played a sensational innings of 114 runs of 73 balls and remained unbeaten till the end. Other batsmen though failed to support him but at last they were able to put 170/4 in 20 overs.

FOW:J Kallis (7-1, 2), Der Merwe (62-2, 9.2), R Dravid (107-3, 14.2), R Taylor (134-4, 17)

Royal Challengers Bangalore Innings Highlights
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 50 runs in 7.5 overs (47 balls), Extras 0
* 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 39 balls (M Pandey 27, RE van der Merwe 23, Ex 0)
* Drinks: Royal Challengers Bangalore – 64/2 in 10.0 overs (M Pandey 34, R Dravid 1)
* M Pandey: 50 off 36 balls (4 x 4, 2 x 6)
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 100 runs in 13.2 overs (81 balls), Extras 1
* M Pandey: 100 off 67 balls (10 x 4, 3 x 6)
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 150 runs in 19.2 overs (117 balls), Extras 2
* Innings Break: Royal Challengers Bangalore – 170/4 in 20.0 overs (M Pandey 114, V Kohli 19)

Deccan Chargers Innings
Deccan Chargers started off extremely well with Gilchrist and Gibbs and took the score past 50 in just 5.3 overs. Deccan Chargers were in full control but at the score of 68 Gilchrist got out and Royal Challengers came back in the game. The brilliant start was carried forward by Gibbs who scored 60 before getting out. But the total was too big and the run rate kept increasing and in the end they fell short by just 12 runs.

FOW:*A Gilchrist (68-1, 6.5), T Suman (91-2, 11), H Gibbs (116-3, 14.1), A Symonds (119-4, 15.1), Venugopal Rao (137-5, 17.5), R Sharma (138-6, 18.1)

Deccan Chargers Innings Highlights
* Deccan Chargers: 50 runs in 5.3 overs (34 balls), Extras 7
* 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 34 balls (AC Gilchrist 12, HH Gibbs 32, Ex 7)
* HH Gibbs: 50 off 32 balls (3 x 4, 4 x 6)
* Drinks: Deccan Chargers – 85/1 in 10.0 overs (HH Gibbs 52, TS Suman 7)
* Deccan Chargers: 100 runs in 12.4 overs (82 balls), Extras 13
* Deccan Chargers: 150 runs in 19.2 overs (122 balls), Extras 13

This was a big win for Royal Challengers Bangalore and with this they had moved to number 3 spot.
Man of the match – M Pandey

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Date – May 19, 2009
Result – Bangalore Royal Challengers won by 7 wickets

Delhi Daredevils Innings
Delhi Daredevils won the toss and elected to bat first. Delhi Daredevils would have never thought of such a disastrous start as they lost 2 wickets in the very first over. This brought them on backfoot and the normal aggression was lacking in the batting of other batsmen. AB de Villers and Karthik tried to bring the innings back to normal and helped Delhi Daredevils to score a respectable total. Nagar and Mahroof also contributed to the total of 134/7 in 20 overs.

FOW:*V Sehwag (1-1, 0.3), M Manhas (1-2, 0.5), G Gambhir (37-3, 6), AB de Villiers (65-4, 10.3), AB McDonald (70-5, 11.3), Y Nagar (109-6, 16.5), D Karthik (114-7, 17.5)

Delhi Daredevils Innings Highlights
* Delhi Daredevils: 50 runs in 7.6 overs (48 balls), Extras 0
* Drinks: Delhi Daredevils – 63/3 in 10.0 overs (AB de Villiers 27, KD Karthik 9)
* Delhi Daredevils: 100 runs in 15.6 overs (97 balls), Extras 1
* Innings Break: Delhi Daredevils – 134/7 in 20.0 overs (MF Maharoof 18, DL Vettori 4)

Bangalore Royal Challengers Innings
Chasing the moderate target of 135, Bangalore Royal Challengers lost the first wicket in first over of the innings and it looked Bangalore Royal Challengers will be in some sort of problem chasing this small total too. But then Bangalore Royal Challengers batsmen Kallis and Dravid bounced back and took the team to 54/1 in 10 overs. Dravid was the one to got out after scoring 38 runs but his innings got Bangalore Royal Challengers out of trouble. Taylor came to the center after Dravid’s wicket and he just smashed the bowl for 3 sixes. His camero of 23 in just 12 balls made the target well in reach. Kallis along with Boucher took Bangalore Royal Challengers to a convincing victory by 7 wickets. Kallis remained unbeaten on 58 runs off 56 balls.

FOW:R Uthappa (2-1, 1), R Dravid (72-2, 12.3), R Taylor (101-3, 14.5)

Royal Challengers Bangalore innings Highlights
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 50 runs in 9.2 overs (56 balls), Extras 0
* 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 52 balls (JH Kallis 27, R Dravid 23, Ex 0)
* Drinks: Royal Challengers Bangalore – 54/1 in 10.0 overs (JH Kallis 29, R Dravid 24)
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 100 runs in 14.4 overs (89 balls), Extras 1
* JH Kallis: 50 off 51 balls (1 x 4, 2 x 6)

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Date – May 14, 2009
Result – Bangalore Royal Challengers Won By 2 Wickets

Chennai Super Kings Innings
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first. They got to a good start but eventually kept loosing wickets at regular interval. Only Mathew Hayden was the batsmen who was firm on one end and scored useful 60 runs. Chennai Super Kings other batsmen disappointed and no other batsmen was able to score more than 20 runs. Eventually Chennai Super Kings were all out for 129 in the 20th over.

FOW:M Vijay (32-1, 3.3), S Raina (48-2, 5.4), *MS Dhoni (93-3, 12.1), M Hayden (101-4, 13.2), S Badrinath (107-5, 16.1), A Morkel (118-6, 17.4), J Oram (118-7, 18.2), L Balaji (118-8, 18.3), M Muralitharan (128-9, 19.3), S Tyagi (129-10, 19.4)

Chennai Super Kings Innings Highlights
* Chennai Super Kings: 50 runs in 5.6 overs (37 balls), Extras 1
* Drinks: Chennai Super Kings – 72/2 in 10.0 overs (ML Hayden 38, MS Dhoni 12)
* ML Hayden: 50 off 34 balls (5 x 4, 2 x 6)
* Chennai Super Kings: 100 runs in 12.3 overs (76 balls), Extras 4
* Innings Break: Chennai Super Kings – 129/10 in 19.4 overs (SB Jakati 7)

Bangalore Royal Challengers Innings
Chasing a small total of 130 to win, Bangalore Royal Challengers got to a disastrous start and lost quick wickets. Dhoni and his team looked in total control of the match and it looked like they will be successful in defending this small total. But Taylor and Kohli shattered the dreams of Dhoni’s team and brought Bangalore Royal Challengers back in the game. The match was a real thriller and Bangalore Royal Challengers clinched the victory in the last over.

FOW:J Kallis (2-1, 0.2), R Dravid (12-2, 1.4), R Uthappa (30-3, 4.4), V Kohli (86-4, 14.2), M Boucher (91-5, 15.1), Der Merwe (104-6, 16.5), B Akhil (107-7, 17.3), R Taylor (125-8, 19.1)

Bangalore Royal Challengers Innings Highlights
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 50 runs in 8.4 overs (54 balls), Extras 3
* Drinks: Royal Challengers Bangalore – 57/3 in 10.0 overs (LRPL Taylor 26, V Kohli 14)
* 4th Wicket: 50 runs in 54 balls (LRPL Taylor 16, V Kohli 37, Ex 0)
* Royal Challengers Bangalore: 100 runs in 16.3 overs (102 balls), Extras 4

Man of the match – Taylor

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