Johannesburg (South Africa), May 24 (ANI): The Anil Kumble-led Royal Challengers, Bangalore (RCB), which has won seven of its last nine matches, will take on the Adam Gilchrist-inspired Deccan Chargers in the final of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday evening.
The match will be played in the Bull Ring in the New Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The IPL in South Africa has been no less than a Bollywood flick. After all the action, drama and heartbreaks, Lalit Modi's brainchild will witness a fairy tale ending.
Last years bottom two teams made it to the top two this season, where the Deccan's story has many heroes, but none can surpass the contribution made by skipper Adam Gilchrist at the top and the purple cap holder R P Singh.
As for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, they gave the much surprised twist in the tale in the second semi-final. A victory against the Chennai Super Kings, which will taste even sweeter than the best of wine, brewed by this none other than team owner Vijay Mallya.
With a nail-bitter all set to take place, all eyes will be on the star players from both sides.
For the Deccan Chargers, their strength lies in the explosive opening pair of Adam Gilchrist and Herchelle Gibbs, followed by a gutsy Andrew Symonds and hugely talented Rohit Sharma.
However, the team lacks the depth plus the inconsistency in the bowling department. The purple cap holder R P Singh has been the lone warrior for the Chargers. The team has the opportunity to keep the winning momentum going and shed the tag of underachievers. But, the threat of having lost badly to their opponents on Thursday is still fresh on the minds of the players.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore, after almost being down and out, scripted one of the most memorable turnarounds under Anil Kumble's leadership, which is undoubtedly one of their biggest strengths. However, inconsistency has been the team's prime enemy. But the team has an opportunity to prove the critics wrong by making use of Manish Pandey's sizzling form and their disciplined bowling attack led by their skipper.
The team will be a bundle of nerves with expectations rising, and once dubbed to be a Test team will go all out to win this prestigious T20 title.
As per the odds, a resurgent team Bangalore looks better after each outing, but they are not the favourites with the punters. After Gilly's flambouyant willow show against the Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-final, the odds tilt towards the Deccan Chargers at 1.80 and Bangalore will have to be content with 2.20.
The weather, which has been hold and cold in South Africa, is the key factor in today's grand finale. With a partly cloudy sky predicted and a minimal chance of rainfall, the blankets will be needed in the dug outs, as the minimum temperature moves a little further down at 6 degrees. (ANI)
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