Target: 176 Runs.
Required Rate: 8.80.
The floodlights at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium were burning bright, but the mood in the Deccan Chargers dugout was tense. 176 was a chaseable score on this pitch, but Deccan's batting had been fragile all season.
Shikhar Dhawan and Akshath Reddy walked out to open. The KKR fielders sprinted out, led by Gautam Gambhir. They knew one early wicket would expose the soft underbelly of the Chargers.
Brett Lee took the new ball. He was bowling with the pace of a man ten years younger.
Over 1: Brett Lee to Shikhar Dhawan
0.1: Lee started with a 145 kmph thunderbolt. Dhawan let it go.
0.2: Dhawan drove straight to mid-off. Dot.
0.4: Dhawan stepped out. He slashed hard over point.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "That is trademark Shikhar! Uses the pace, cuts it hard. First boundary of the chase." (FOUR)
0.5: Lee bowled a bouncer. Dhawan ducked.
0.6: Last ball. Lee went full and straight.
Dhawan tried to flick it over mid-wicket. He closed the face of the bat too early.
Leading edge.
The ball looped to Brendon McCullum at cover.
WICKET (Dhawan 4).
Score: 6/1.
Kumar Sangakkara walked in at No. 3. The Captain. He looked determined to play a captain's knock in the final game.
Over 2: Iqbal Abdulla (Spin)
Sangakkara and Reddy rotated the strike. The pitch was gripping slightly for the spinners.
Score: 12/1.
Over 4: Brett Lee to Akshath Reddy
Reddy tried to pull a short ball. He was late.
The ball hurried onto him. Top edge.
Manvinder Bisla ran behind the stumps and took a safe catch.
WICKET (Reddy 11).
Score: 19/2.
Overs: 3.3.
The crowd went quiet for a split second. Then, a low rumble started. It grew into a roar. Then into a chant.
"DE-VA! DE-VA! DE-VA!"
Siddanth Deva walked out of the dugout. He was wearing the blue helmet, the blue pads, and the jersey that had seen a championship in 2009 and 2011. This was his first game of the season. And it would be his last.
Commentary (Sunil Gavaskar): "Listen to that noise! He is walking out to the center, and the stadium is shaking. Siddanth Deva. The best batsman and bowler this franchise has ever had since 2008. A two-time Orange Cap winner, a two-time Purple Cap winner. He is the only player in the history of the IPL to win the Orange Cap, Purple Cap, and the Championship in the same season. He is royalty here."
Commentary (Danny Morrison): "He certainly is, Sunny! He's walked into these crisis situations so many times for Deccan, and he has emerged victorious every single time. But the question is—is he rusty? The ankle injury kept him out for two months. His bowling was top-notch in the first innings, but batting requires footwork, timing, and running. Can the Devil deliver one last time for this year's IPL?"
Deva took guard. He marked the crease. He looked at Brett Lee.
Lee grinned. "Welcome back, mate. Ready for some chin music?"
Deva didn't smile. He just tapped his bat on the pitch, his eyes locked on Lee's hand.
Over 4 (Continued): Brett Lee to Deva
3.4: Lee ran in. He bent his back.
Bouncer. 148 kmph. Directed right at the head. A welcoming gift.
Deva didn't duck. He didn't weave.
He saw the ball early. He transferred his weight back instantly.
He hooked.
It wasn't a defensive hook. It was a violent, dismissive swat.
The ball flew off the middle of the bat. It sailed over the fine-leg boundary. It kept going. It landed in the top tier of the North Stand.
SIX.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "OH MY GOODNESS! First ball! He has deposited Brett Lee into the top tier! What rust? What injury? The Devil is back, and he means business! That sounded like a gunshot!"
The crowd went absolutely berserk. Krithika, in the VIP box, was jumping up and down, screaming her lungs out, clutching her friend Riya.
3.5: Lee, rattled, bowled full and wide.
Deva leaned into it. He drove it through covers. Not hard, just timed.
FOUR.
3.6: Deva took a single to keep strike.
Score: 30/2.
After the explosion, Deva settled down. He knew 30/2 could easily become 35/3 if he was reckless.
He and Sangakkara built a partnership. They respected Sunil Narine, who was bowling his mystery spin with incredible control.
Over 6: Sunil Narine to Deva
5.1: Carrom ball. Deva read it off the hand. He defended on the back foot.
5.2: Off-spinner. Deva pushed to long-on. 1 Run.
5.3: Sangakkara sweep. Missed.
5.4: Sangakkara single.
5.5: Deva played late, guiding it to short third man. No run.
5.6: Deva stepped out, converted it to a full toss, and pushed it to long-off. 1 Run.
Only 3 runs off the over. Narine was tight.
Over 8: Rajat Bhatia to Sangakkara
Bhatia bowled his slow cutters.
7.1: Sangakkara stepped out and lofted him over extra cover.
FOUR.
7.2: Single.
7.3: Deva on strike. Bhatia bowled wide.
Deva waited. He cut it late, past backward point.
FOUR.
7.6: Single to keep strike.
They took the score to 70/2 at the halfway mark.
Run Rate: 7.0. Required Rate: 10.6. The pressure was mounting.
Over 11: Yusuf Pathan
Gambhir brought on Yusuf to rush the overs.
10.5: Sangakkara on strike.
Yusuf bowled flat. Sanga tried to accelerate. He stepped out to loft Pathan over long-on.
He didn't get to the pitch. The ball spun away slightly.
Sliced.
Caught at long-off by Jacques Kallis.
WICKET (Sangakkara 26).
Score: 79/3.
Overs: 11.1.
Cameron White walked in. The big-hitting Australian.
But it wasn't his day.
Over 13: White faced Sunil Narine.
12.5: White tried to cut a ball that was too close to off stump.
The ball skidded on.
Bowled.
WICKET (White 1).
Score: 82/4.
Overs: 12.5.
JP Duminy walked out.
The South African joined Deva.
"We need a partnership, JP," Deva said, tapping gloves. "Just stay with me. Don't let Narine get you."
Deva and Duminy stabilized.
Over 14: Jacques Kallis
13.1: Deva pulled Kallis to deep square leg. 1 Run.
13.2: Duminy drove to cover. 1 Run.
13.3: Deva stepped out. He drove Kallis on the up.
The ball flew past the bowler.
FOUR.
13.4: Deva took a single.
13.6: Duminy Dot.
Over 15: Rajat Bhatia
Deva was on 42.
14.1: Slower ball. Deva waited. He pulled it to deep mid-wicket. 2 Runs.
14.2: Deva cut. 2 Runs.
14.5: Deva on 47.
Bhatia bowled full.
Deva drove through extra cover.
FOUR.
He reached his 50 off 35 balls.
Over 16: Jacques Kallis
Duminy hit a boundary. Deva rotated strike with a single on the last ball.
Score: 116/4 after 16 Overs.
Equation: 60 runs needed off 24 balls.
Required Rate: 15.00.
It was tough. The asking rate was climbing vertically. But Deva was set. He was on 55. Duminy was on 12.
Commentary (Gavaskar): "60 off 24. It is a huge ask. KKR has Lee and Narine overs left. But Deva is there. He has done this before. Remember the last year IPL final? He lives for this equation."
---
Bowler: Brett Lee.
Lee came back to kill the game. He had 2 overs left.
Deva on Strike.
16.1: Lee to Deva.
Lee bowled a length ball, 145 kmph, looking for swing.
Deva cleared his front leg. He swung with everything he had.
CRACK.
The sound was like a gunshot. It echoed around the stadium before the ball even left the frame.
It flew over long-on. It cleared the roof. It went out of the stadium.
SIX.
Commentary (Shastri): "THAT IS OUT OF THE PARK! Did you hear that sound? That sounded like a cannon! 138 meters! Deva has just signaled the charge! The crowd believes again!"
16.2: Lee bowled a yorker.
Deva opened the face at the last second. He steered it past point.
The third man fielder was square. He couldn't cut it off.
FOUR.
16.3: Bouncer. Angry Lee.
Deva hooked. Fine leg was back.
It landed just short of the rope. One bounce four.
FOUR.
16.4: Lee went full and wide.
Deva drove. Sweeper cover fielded.
1 Run.
16.5: Duminy single to deep square.
1 Run.
16.6: Deva on strike.
Lee bowled a low full toss.
Deva pulled it through mid-wicket.
1 Run.
21 runs off the over.
Equation: 39 runs needed off 18 balls.
Over 18: Sunil Narine
Gambhir brought his ace. Narine had conceded only 15 runs in 3 overs. This was the over that would decide the match.
Deva on Strike.
17.1: Narine to Deva.
Deva switched his stance. Left-handed.
Narine bowled the off-spinner (now leg-spinner to Deva).
Deva swept it over square leg.
SIX.
Commentary (Morrison): "He's playing with them! Switch hit six off Narine! The audacity! He treats the mystery spinner like a club bowler!"
17.2: Narine adjusted. Faster ball.
Deva stepped out. He made room.
Lofted inside out over cover.
FOUR.
17.3: Narine bowled shorter.
Deva cut. Deep point fielded.
1 Run.
17.4: Duminy single to long-on.
1 Run.
17.5: Deva on strike.
Narine tossed it up.
Deva didn't hit it. He just pushed it for a single.
1 Run.
17.6: Duminy single to mid-wicket.
1 Run.
14 runs off the over.
Equation: 25 runs needed off 12 balls.
Over 19: Rajat Bhatia
Bhatia bowled slow cutters. He was hard to hit because there was no pace to work with.
Duminy on Strike.
18.1: Duminy pulled a short ball to deep mid-wicket.
1 Run.
18.2: Deva on strike.
He shuffled across to the off-side. He exposed all three stumps.
He scooped the ball from outside off over fine leg.
SIX.
Commentary (Shastri): "The scoop! He learned that from Dilshan, or maybe Dilshan learned it from him! What a shot! He is playing with the field!"
18.3: Bhatia went wide.
Deva slashed. The ball flew over point.
FOUR.
18.4: Deva drove to long-off.
He refused the single.
Dot.
Commentary (Gavaskar): "He refuses the single! He wants to keep the strike. He trusts himself to finish this. That puts pressure on the bowler."
18.5: Deva hit straight.
Flat hit. It cleared the ropes at long-on.
SIX.
Deva moved to 98.
18.6: Last ball of the over.
Equation: 8 runs needed off 7 balls.
Deva pushed a ball to long-off.
He ran one.
Duminy called for the second.
Deva hesitated. He ran.
Throw came to the bowler's end.
Direct hit!
Duminy was short.
WICKET (Duminy Run Out 15).
The Crossing: The batsmen had crossed before the run-out.
Deva is on Strike for the last over.
Equation: 7 runs needed off 6 balls.
Bowler: Shakib Al Hasan (Spin for the last over).
Striker: Siddanth Deva (99*).
Non-Striker: Daniel Christian.
The crowd was on its feet. 8 to win. Deva on 99.
Ball 19.1: Shakib to Deva.
Shakib fired it in on the pads, trying to cramp him.
Deva flicked it deep to mid-wicket.
He didn't run hard. He jogged a single.
1 Run.
100 FOR SIDDANTH DEVA.
100 off 48 balls.
The stadium erupted in a frenzy. A century in his comeback match. In a chase.
Deva jogged to the non-striker's end. He stopped. He took off his helmet. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. He raised his bat towards the dugout. Then, he turned towards the North Stand. Towards the VIP Box. He didn't wave. He blew a flying kiss with the bat.
To the millions watching on TV, it looked like a kiss to the Hyderabad crowd.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "Look at that! The Nawab blows a kiss to his people! He loves this city, and this city loves him back! What a moment!"
But in the front row of the VIP box, Krithika froze. She saw his eyes lock onto hers for a fleeting second. She felt her face burn.
"Oh my god," Riya screamed, grabbing Krithika's arm. "He did it for you! He is totally looking at you!"
"Shut up!" Krithika hissed, burying her face in her hands to hide the blush, while Anjali laughed hysterically. "Just shut up and watch the game!"
Deva put his helmet back on. He had a match to win.
Equation: 6 needed off 5. Christian on strike.
Ball 19.2: Shakib to Christian.
Christian swept.
The fielder at deep square leg fumbled slightly.
They ran two.
2 Runs.
Equation: 4 needed off 4.
Ball 19.3: Christian tried to slog.
Mistimed to long-on.
They took a single.
1 Run.
Equation: 3 needed off 3.
Ball 19.4: Shakib to Deva.
Shakib tossed it up.
Deva saw the flight.
He stepped out.
He played the most beautiful, straight lofted drive.
The bat met the ball with a sweet sound.
The ball sailed over the sightscreen.
SIX.
DECCAN CHARGERS WIN BY 5 WICKETS.
Final Score: 179/5 (19.4 Overs).
Deva: 106* (50 balls).
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "HE FINISHES IT IN STYLE! A magnificent six to end the match! Siddanth Deva returns with a century and a victory! 106 not out! He has single-handedly dragged Deccan Chargers to a win in their final game!"
Danny Morrison: "Unbelievable! You've been gone for two months, you come back, you score a century, you win the game. Are you real?"
Deva: "I missed this, Danny. I missed the noise. I missed the pressure. The leg felt good. The bat felt good. I just wanted to give the fans something to smile about after a tough season."
Morrison: "That sound off the bat in the 17th over against Lee?"
Deva: "Yeah, I connected that one well. Might have cracked the bat."
Morrison: "Man of the Match. Siddanth Deva."
Deva walked a lap of honor. He stopped at the North Stand again.
Krithika was there, laughing with her friends, holding her friends.
The IPL was over for him. But the message was sent.
The Devil was back. And he was ready for the World Cup.