RCB’s miraculous turnaround from 68 for 6 to a final berth—powered by de Villiers, driven by grit
You know how IPL playoffs usually go—fireworks, flair, a big toss call, and someone doing something outrageous with the bat. However, on 24 May 2016, that template was shredded at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. What unfolded was more like a thriller with a twist than a cricket match.
RCB faced off against Gujarat Lions, and before most fans could finish finding their seats, the visitors were reeling at 9 for 3. Shane Watson and Iqbal Abdulla made the new ball talk, dismissing Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, and Suresh Raina. On the other hand, Dwayne Smith had other ideas. He counterpunched with a blitzkrieg 73 off 41—smashing 5 fours and 6 sixes—to give Gujarat some hope.
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The Lions roared to 158, thanks to a handy late cameo by Eklavya Dwivedi and a few meaty blows from the tail. But the unusually dry and sluggish pitch for Bengaluru was silently plotting its own drama.
Chasing 159 shouldn't have felt like climbing Everest. But Dhawal Kulkarni turned a stroll into a scramble.
By the end of just the fourth over, RCB were tottering at 29 for 5. Kohli? Gone for a duck. Gayle? Swung and missed. Rahul? Snicked off. Sachin Baby chipped one tamely. It was a procession, and Kulkarni's figures were surreal at 4 for 14—numbers that looked like they belonged in a Test match, not a T20 chase.
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Ravindra Jadeja, playing for GL that year, added his own spice, trapping Watson with one that stopped and turned. The scoreboard showed 68 for 6 in 9.4 overs. Half the team was back. The target? Still 91 runs away. And in walked Iqbal Abdulla, a bowler by trade, to join AB de Villiers.
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At this point, you wouldn't blame fans for heading for the exit. But if cricket has taught us anything, it's this: if AB is at the crease, don't turn that telly off.
With the drizzle adding drama and pressure mounting by the minute, de Villiers shifted gears—like only he can. He danced down the pitch, reverse-swept, pulled, drove, and even flat-batted tennis shots straight down the ground.
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Abdulla did what few expected—he held his nerve. He rotated the strike, ran hard, and when needed, swung big. His run-a-ball 33 was as vital as AB's fiery 79 off 47 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes. They added 91 runs together for the seventh wicket, without losing another one.
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They crossed the line with 10 balls to spare. Think about that. From six down before the halfway mark to cruising home with unused deliveries—that's not a comeback, that's resurrection.
AB finished it in style. The pick of his shots? A reverse sweep off Praveen Kumar that defied belief, logic, and maybe gravity.
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IPL history is rich with drama, but few matches can compare to what RCB pulled off that night. It spoke about de Villiers' class, grit, belief, and the magic still lurking in sport.
Even now, nearly a decade later, fans remember the disbelief, joy, and silence AB turned into song at Chinnaswamy.
After all, comebacks are sweeter when nobody sees them coming.
