#ThisDayThatYear: Adam Gilchrist's Deccan Chargers clinch the IPL title
On this day in 2009, Deccan Chargers became the second team to win an Indian Premier League title. After faring poorly in the inaugural IPL edition, the Adam Gilchrist-led side reversed the show a year later. They locked horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a high-voltage final at Johannesburg. Here is how the match panned out.
DC posted a fighting total despite losing wickets
Skipper Gilchrist departed in the very first over as RCB put DC into bat on a tricky surface. Although Herschelle Gibbs (53*) bolstered the innings, Deccan Chargers kept losing wickets from the other end. Rohit Sharma (24) and Andrew Symonds (33) too made useful contributions with DC finishing on 143/6 at the end of 20 overs. RCB captain Anil Kumble claimed four scalps.
RCB were behind in the run-chase
RCB started off well with Jacques Kallis (15) scoring at a quick rate, however, he was removed in the fourth over. The DC spinners ran through the middle order, reducing RCB to 99/6. None of the batsmen other than RE van der Merwe (32) and Ross Taylor (27) could cross the 20-run mark. However, Robin Uthappa's late flourish rekindled the hopes of RCB camp.
RCB pinned hopes on Uthappa in the final over
RCB, who had lost 9 wickets, required 15 runs off six deliveries. Kumble took the strike as RP Singh ran in to bowl the final over. Luckily, he stole a single on the very first ball and handed the strike to Uthappa. However, RP Singh's immaculate line and length denied Uthappa the big hit throughout the over. DC won the match by 6 runs.
DC and RCB made a massive turnaround
Notably, the two finalists (RCB and DC, 2009) had finished on seventh and eighth spot respectively in the 2008 IPL edition. This time as well, DC were on the brink of losing the playoffs berth, but the healthy Net Run-Rate helped their plight.
