RCB'S Dream Run

With the postponement of the IPL and not much international cricket going on, I thought it would be fun to jog our memories a little and revisit a better time.

2016 was a golden year. I say golden because we weren’t cooped up in our houses or worrying about a pandemic. Otherwise, it was a normal year with its ups and downs. However, for RCB, it was a whirlwind of a year.

Now, before I dig deep into their season, let me give you the background. Two new teams were playing the IPL that year – Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) under the captaincy of M S Dhoni and Gujarat Lions (GL) which was led by Suresh Raina. RCB was still a batting-oriented team with the likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and A B de Villers forming their top order.

Just like every year, RCB had a poor start to the season. Despite winning the first game of the season against the eventual champions Sunrisers Hyderabad, they won only two out of their first six games. This also included a loss against Gujarat Lions, although the skipper scored the first of his four centuries that year. RCB needed to win six out of their next games to have a chance of qualifying to the play-offs.

We all know what happened. RCB did end up winning six out of their next eight games. Virat Kohli scored almost a 1000 runs. A B, not wanting to be left behind also scored 680 odd runs. Chahal and Watson starred with the ball taking 21 and 20 wickets, respectively. It might have not been the perfect squad but they did have a golden run till they choked the final.

Out of all the games that season, the most iconic happened on 14th May 2016. It took place at the Chinnaswamy in Banglore and RCB were sporting their green jersey for the game against GL. It was a crucial game for the former for had they lost, they would have been eliminated from the tournament. But amidst a roaring crowd of supporters, the team starred in the match of a lifetime.

Stand-in captain, Brendon McCullum, had a fine start in the powerplay. RCB were reduced to 19-1 in the fourth over. Chris Gayle had been extremely lackluster that year. Out walked A B de Villiers to join Virat Kohli on the crease. What ensued can only be described as carnage of the highest order.

Of his very first legal delivery, A B slams a back foot six over covers. And that set the tone for the entire innings.

If I had to give a detailed description, I am very sure that I would run out of adjectives. The South African star simply took the game away from the opposition, tearing the spinners apart. Virat Kohli had resigned to take the back seat and simply rotated strike. His partner-in-crime continued to wreak havoc and reached his century in just 43 balls.

Well the best batsman of the season wasn’t going to simply watch. He wanted his share of the fun. At the end of the end of the 17th over, he had scored 52 off 41 balls. He can’t possibly get a century from here. At the end of the 18th over, he had scored 65 off 45 balls. He still can’t reach a hundred, right? At the end of the 19.2 overs, Kohli had hit his third century of the season in 53 balls!

It was simply breath taking from start to finish. If you think that was the end of the story, you are mistaken. In a ground like Chinnaswamy which offers nothing for the bowlers, it is not wrong of one to expect a thriller. But RCB’s bowlers did a brilliant job. The highest individual score was just 37 by Aaron Finch. Only three batsmen managed to get scores of double figures. Yuzi wove a web of spin with figures of 3-19 and Jordan complemented his efforts with figures 4-11. Gujarat Lions were bowled out for a paltry 104.

RCB ended up winning by 144 runs, the then greatest margin of victory in the IPL. Virat and de Villiers had stitched a mammoth partnership of 229 runs, the then biggest stand for any wicket in all of T20. The team also smashed a handful of other records. In short, if you’re an RCB fan, it’s a match that will always remain etched in your heart.