Virat Kohli holds for record for scoring the most runs in a single reason. In 2016 IPL, Royal Challengers Banglore scored 973 runs at an average of 81. He also scored four hundreds. Under Kohli’s leadership they were looking invincible and set to lift their maiden IPL trophy. But in the final, RCB stumbled as they fell short of SunRisers Hyderabad’s 208 by 8 runs.
In the last over of their innings, SRH scored 24 off Shane Watson.
The former Australia all-rounder went wicketless and conceded 61 off his four overs. Almost six years after that night at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Watson recalled the IPL 2016 final and admitted that bowling the last over left him ‘shattered’.
“The 2016 final which I played with RCB was something I was just shattered about. Because I know how much it meant to RCB to win that final. It was at home at Chinnaswamy. RCB had played so well all year, at the backend of that tournament in particular. Virat in particular was on fire. It was his chance, one of the greatest players, to win that elusive IPL title as captain. And bowling that one over just shattered me. It just got it wrong and I felt like the end of time,” Watson said on the Delhi Capitals podcast.
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Though Watson’s 2016 ended in a mess, two years later, playing for Chennai Super Kings, he pummelled the opposition bowlers. He scored 555 runs with two hundreds, one of which came in the final against a familiar opponent, the SRH. This time, Watson would bludgeon the SRH attack, and even though he got off to a really slow start – his score reading 0 off 11 balls – Watson made up with a brisk century and scored an unbeaten 117 as CSK chased down 180 with a breeze.
“I was thinking ‘What are you doing? What’s going on?’ You’re ruining it for the team. So those voices were getting quite louder. I got off to a very slow start which means I put pressure of Faf as well. He took a risk he didn’t need to,” Watson said about his slow start. “But that was one of the days you just dream of. Deep down inside me, that 2018 final was something whose demons I had to exercise and that’s why I was so determined to just direct all my energy into every single ball. A few little things fell my way. I was nearly 37. To be able to have a season like that and have a game like that in the final is something you always dream of,” said Watson.
