Today night at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, two teams will seek to complete the final stretch of a journey to a summit that has thus far eluded them both.
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The game was in the balance with Sunrisers requiring 24 runs at the start of the 19th over but Bravo conceded 19 runs, to squander any advantage Lions had. On Sunday, they will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. They have delivered many memorable wins, they have lit up the tournament with bursts of individual brilliance, but, in the final analysis, they have flattered to deceive.
Who will win the IPL 2016 final?
■ RCB have the highest percentage of runs through boundaries in the tournament; scoring 60.63% of their runs in fours and sixes only. He put on match-winning 91 runs for the seventh wicket with Iqbal Abdullah (33) to take his side into the final.
Besides Warner, Sunrisers also have the likes of Shikhar Dhawan (473 runs), the experienced Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha and big-hitting all-rounder Ben Cutting in the batting department.
VIVO IPL 2016 has been the most batsmen-friendly season ever; the average runs per wicket this season stood at an all-time high of 28.34. The tournament this year has also seen the birth of a new bowling superstar in the form of Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman.
Kohli (919) and Warner (779), the top two run-getters, have lit up IPL-9 not just with their batting but with their leadership qualities as well.
Youngster Barinder Sran has also capitalised on the chances that he has received to grab 13 wickets in as many matches.
With four centuries in a single season, including one in a 15-over game, Kohli not only guided Royal Challengers Bangalore to the final but also ensured that there is no one who can overshadow him. A lull in form, as they lost three of their last four league matches, coincided with intense competition for the playoffs spots, putting at risk their qualification.
Warner has been in explosive form for Sunrisers. In the first qualifier, reduced to 29 for 5 in a chase of 159, AB de Villiers pulled off one of the better rescue acts in T20 cricket with an unbeaten 79 off 47 balls and helped his side clinch a four-wicket win.
Chahal was the only bowler to have an off-day for Royal Challengers in Qualifier 1, but, given his consistent performances throughout the season, they are unlikely to discard him for the final.
Sunrisers will be relying heavily on its pacers, who played a stellar role in defeating RCB here in the league stage, to deliver the goods on Sunday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner celebrates the victory over Gujarat Lions. SRH are unfortunate to be missing out on the services of Ashish Nehra in such an important match but he did well in the few matches that he played. On that occasion, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batting strength had translated to a total of 227 for 4 and overwhelmed the visitors.
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With the ball, Mustafizur Rahman has been nothing short of lethal throughout the campaign, and although he missed the Qualifier 2 meeting with Gujarat through injury, the Sunrisers will hope their star seamer is back for the final.
