The IPL juggernaut moved into the second half of the season. The Deccan Chargers sat comfortably at the top of the table, the "Silver Storm" looking unstoppable. But in the IPL, momentum is a fickle mistress.
Match 8
Opponent: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Date: April 1, 2010.
Eden Gardens was a sea of purple. Sourav Ganguly was desperate for a win.
Deccan batted first. Adam Gilchrist fell early.
Siddanth Deva walked in at No. 3. The crowd booed him—they hadn't forgotten his wicket of Dada in the first match.
He played a mature hand on a sluggish pitch, scoring 45 off 35 balls. Rohit Sharma provided the fireworks with a quick 40.
DC Posted: 168/6.
In the chase, KKR was strangled. Pragyan Ojha spun a web, taking 3 wickets.
Deva bowled the death overs, removing Angelo Mathews.
KKR finished on 144.
A clinical, professional win.
Match 9:
Opponent: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.
Date: April 8, 2010.
This was the night the "Devil" burned Bangalore down.
RCB batted first. Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey went berserk on the small ground. They posted a massive 205/4.
Chasing 200+ is rare. It requires a miracle.
The Chase:
Gilchrist and VVS Laxman started aggressively but fell within the powerplay.
DC: 45/2 (5 Overs).
Siddanth Deva walked in. Herschelle Gibbs was at the other end.
The Required Rate was 11.
Deva targeted the short boundaries.
Over 8 (Anil Kumble): Deva stepped out. Straight six. Then a slog sweep for six.
Over 12 (Jacques Kallis): Deva used the pace. Upper-cut for four. Pull shot for six.
He reached his 50 off just 19 balls.
The crowd, usually loyal to RCB, started cheering for the spectacle.
Gibbs fell for 30. Rohit Sharma joined Deva.
Equation: 60 needed off 30 balls.
Over 16 (Praveen Kumar):
Deva went nuclear.
4, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6.
30 Runs in one over.
He moved to 92.
Over 18 (Dale Steyn):
Steyn bowled a bouncer. Deva hooked it out of the stadium.
98.
Next ball, a yorker. Deva dug it out to long-off for a double.
CENTURY.
100 off 42 Balls.
He took off his helmet, arms wide, soaking in the stunned silence and then the applause of the Chinnaswamy.
Deva finished the game in the 19th over with a cover drive.
Deva Score: 108 (46 balls).*
Deccan Won by 7 wickets.
Ravi Shastri: "Take a bow, Siddanth Deva! He has made a mockery of a 200-run chase! This is one of the greatest T20 innings you will ever see!"
Match 10
Opponent: Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Venue: VCA Stadium, Nagpur.
Date: April 10, 2010.
The law of averages finally caught up.
Deccan batted first. Deva fell for 10.
Rohit Sharma scored 50, dragging DC to 155.
CSK needed to win to stay alive in the tournament.
MS Dhoni played a captain's knock.
Chasing 156, CSK was in trouble at 100/4.
Dhoni (55*) took the game deep.
In the last over, with 10 needed, Deva bowled to Dhoni.
Ball 1: Deva bowled a yorker. Dhoni dug it out. 2 runs.
Ball 2: Deva missed the length by an inch. Half-volley.
Dhoni unleashed the helicopter. SIX.
Ball 3: Single. Game Over.
Deva shook Dhoni's hand. "Too good, Mahi-bhai."
Dhoni smiled. "Next time, bowl wide."
Match 11 & 12
Match 11 vs Rajasthan Royals
In Jaipur, Shane Warne's tactics stifled Deccan.
Deva scored 30, but the team collapsed to 140. RR chased it down.
Result: RR Won by 4 wickets.
Suddenly, two back-to-back losses. The "Invincibles" looked human.
Match 12 vs Kings XI Punjab (Win):
In Dharamsala, the scenic venue brought luck.
Andrew Symonds scored a 50. Deva took 3 wickets.
Result: DC Won by 6 wickets.
Playoff spot secured.
Match 13 vs Mumbai Indians:
A top-of-the-table clash. Both teams had qualified.
It was a relaxed game.
Deva scored 40. Ryan Harris (newly drafted pacer) destroyed MI's top order.
Result: DC Won by 15 runs.
Match 14 vs Delhi Daredevils (Win):
The final league game.
Deccan chased down 160 effortlessly.
Rohit Sharma and Deva had an unbroken partnership of 80.
Result: DC Won by 8 wickets.
LEAGUE TABLE FINAL STANDINGS
Deccan Chargers (20 Points)
Mumbai Indians (20 Points)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (14 Points)
Chennai Super Kings (14 Points)
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Deccan Chargers vs. Chennai Super Kings in the Semi-Final.
Venue: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
THE SEMI-FINAL: The Heartbreak
Date: April 22, 2010.
Venue: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
Match: Deccan Chargers vs. Chennai Super Kings.
The pressure was different. League dominance meant nothing now. It was knockout cricket.
CSK had scraped into the semis by the skin of their teeth (Dhoni's Dharamsala heroics). They were dangerous.
Deccan was the favorite.
---
Dhoni flipped the coin. Heads.
Dhoni: "We will bat first. It's a big game. Runs on the board matter."
1st Innings
CSK batted first.
Murali Vijay and Matthew Hayden gave a steady start.
But Ryan Harris and Siddanth Deva pulled it back.
Deva removed Suresh Raina cheaply.
CSK struggled to 142/7 in 20 overs.
It was a modest total. 143 to win for a place in the final.
The Deccan dugout was confident. "Easy chase," Symonds said.
2nd Innings
Adam Gilchrist walked out to open.
Doug Bollinger took the new ball for CSK.
Over 1: Bollinger bowled a beauty. Gilchrist edged it.
WICKET: A. Gilchrist c Dhoni b Bollinger 0.
The captain was gone.
Enter Deva.
The crowd roared. The man who scored a century two weeks ago.
He looked focused. He hit Albie Morkel for a four through covers.
But the pitch was slowing down. The ball was stopping.
R. Ashwin and Muttiah Muralitharan came on.
They strangled the scoring.
Rohit Sharma fell for 15.
Symonds fell for 20.
DC: 60/5 in 12 overs.
The required rate jumped to 10.
Deva was the last hope. He was batting on 25.
He had to attack.
Over 15 (Shadab Jakati):
Deva stepped out. He wanted to hit it over long-off.
He didn't quite get to the pitch of the ball. The bat turned in his hand.
The ball flew high... high...
Suresh Raina at long-off settled under it.
He didn't drop those.
Catch Taken.
WICKET: S. Deva c Raina b Jakati 28.
Deva stood there for a second. He looked at the pitch. He looked at Raina, celebrating.
The dream was over.
He walked back slowly, head down.
The tail collapsed.
Deccan Chargers All Out: 104.
CSK Won by 38 Runs.
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The stadium was yellow. CSK fans were going berserk. They were in the final.
The Deccan players sat in the dugout, shell-shocked. They had dominated the league stage, winning 10 games. And it ended in 2 hours of bad cricket.
Adam Gilchrist gathered the team in a huddle on the ground.
"Heads up," Gilly said, though his voice was heavy. "We played like champions for 14 games. Today wasn't our day. That's cricket. Bollinger bowled a spell from hell. Ashwin strangled us. No shame in losing to a better team on the day."
He looked at Deva, who was staring at the grass.
"Sid," Gilly said. "You carried us this season. Don't beat yourself up."
Deva looked up. His eyes were red. Not from tears, but from anger.
"I should have finished it," Deva whispered. "28 is not enough."
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CSK marched to the final (where they would beat Mumbai Indians to win their first title).
Deva collected the Purple Cap (Most Wickets in the tournament).
He held the awards, forcing a smile for the cameras.
But inside, the fire was burning hotter than ever.