They say cricket is a team sport, but every now and then, an individual reminds you what one man can do with belief
Some matches are won with the bat, while others are won with nerves. But once in a rare while, a game is remembered for a performance so valiant and so complete—yet unrewarded—that it carves out its own little corner in cricketing folklore. The 2009 IPL Final in Johannesburg was one such night: a final where the Player of the Match came not from the champions but from the side that fell short.
And at the centre of it all stood a 38-year-old leg-spinner—Anil Kumble—bowling with the fire of a rookie and the wisdom of a sage.
Royal Challengers Bangaluru had clawed their way into the final, much like their skipper Kumble had fought to become India’s spin warhorse through the years. But on that May evening in South Africa, the odds were stacked against them. Having finished last in the previous season, Deccan Chargers had stormed into the final like a team possessed.
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Still, Kumble didn’t flinch. He took the new ball and, with his very first over, removed the dangerous Adam Gilchrist (0). That early blow rippled through Deccan’s top order and set the tone. He returned in the ninth over to cut short Andrew Symonds’ (33) stay—another big scalp—and the momentum began to swing Bangaluru’s way.
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But it wasn’t just about the wickets. It was how Kumble approached it. Sharp turns, clever pace variations, and relentless pressure. He returned in the death overs, breaking a 52-run stand between Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma. In a format designed for young legs and faster arms, here was Kumble, with 4 for 16 in his four overs, dictating the pace like a chess grandmaster.
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With only 144 runs to chase, RCB should have walked it. But the game twisted and turned like a mountain road. Jacques Kallis (15) and Ross Taylor (27) tried to ease the nerves, but Symonds (2/18) and RP Singh (1/16) chipped away at the middle order. Van der Merwe (32) swung hard but burned out quickly.
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By the time the last over arrived, the chase had turned into a crawl. Kumble, the lion in his final stand, could only watch helplessly from the non-striker’s end as the runs dried up and wickets tumbled. Bangalore ended six runs short (137/9)—agonisingly close, heartbreakingly far.
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It was a final for the ages—a match that offered everything: drama, flair, sledging, fightbacks, and tight finishes. Yet, what remained etched in memory was not just the trophy lift by Gilchrist or the tears of jubilation from the Deccan camp.
It was Anil Kumble, the calm amidst the chaos; the man who carried a team on his shoulders with ball in hand and grit in heart.
In 16 IPL finals since, no Player of the Match has come from the losing team. That 2009 night remains the only instance it’s happened, and that tells you all you need to know about Kumble’s performance.
