The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was a cauldron of noise, humidity, and high-stakes anxiety. The second semi-final of the inaugural IPL. The narrative was intoxicating: The Kings XI Punjab, led by the flamboyant Yuvraj Singh and boasting the Orange Cap holder Shaun Marsh, against the resurrected Deccan Chargers, the team that had clawed its way back from the bottom of the table.
But the subplot was even juicier. It was the "Battle of the Speedsters." The master, Brett Lee, steaming in for Punjab. And the apprentice, the 17-year-old sensation Siddanth Deva, steaming in for Deccan.
The Toss:
Yuvraj Singh flipped the coin. It spun in the heavy Mumbai air.
"Heads," Adam Gilchrist called.
It was tails.
"We'll bat," Yuvraj said, a confident smirk on his face. "It's a semi-final. Runs on the board is the only way. We want to put them under pressure."
Gilchrist didn't look phased. He walked back to the huddle.
"Right, lads," Gilly said, his eyes scanning the group. "They want to set a target? Fine. We keep them to 140. We strangle them. Sid?"
He tossed the new white Kookaburra to Siddanth.
"You've got the first over. Marsh is in form. Don't let him breathe."
---
"Welcome to a packed Wankhede!" Ravi Shastri's voice boomed through millions of televisions across India. "The atmosphere is electric. Yuvraj has won the toss, and Punjab will bat. Out walk the openers, Shaun Marsh and James Hopes. Marsh has been the run machine of this tournament. But facing him is the young phenomenon, the 17-year-old with the golden arm, Siddanth Deva."
Siddanth stood at the top of his mark. He adjusted his field. A slip. A gully. Aggressive.
He looked down the pitch at Shaun Marsh. The Australian left-hander was in the form of his life, timing everything to perfection.
You like pace? Siddanth thought. Let's see if you like accuracy.
Over 1: Siddanth Deva vs. Shaun Marsh
Ball 1: Siddanth ran in. 148kph.
It was a perfect length delivery, angling across the left-hander. Marsh watched it closely and let it go. It thudded into Gilchrist's gloves.
"Good carry," Sunil Gavaskar noted. "Deva is hitting the deck hard. No swing yet, but good bounce."
Ball 2: Same line. Same length. 149kph.
Marsh defended off the back foot. The ball hit the sticker. Solid.
Dot Ball.
Ball 3: Siddanth went fuller. Trying to tempt the drive.
Marsh leaned forward, checked his shot, and pushed it to mid-off.
Dot Ball.
In the Hyderabad community hall, Vikram Deva was leaning so far forward in his plastic chair that he was in danger of tipping over.
"Look at that line, Sesi! He's not giving him an inch! Marsh is the best batsman in the league, and he can't get bat on ball!"
"He looks angry," Sesikala whispered, clutching her prayer beads. "Siddu looks angry."
"He's focused, Sesi. That's the predator look."
Ball 4: Siddanth shortened the length just a fraction. 150kph.
The ball jagged back in off the seam—the wobble. Marsh was cramped. He tried to tuck it, got an inside edge onto his pad.
Stifled appeal. Not out.
Dot Ball.
Ball 5: Siddanth went wide on the crease. He angled it in.
Marsh left it alone. It passed the off-stump by a whisker.
Dot Ball.
Ball 6: The final ball of the over. The crowd was buzzing. A maiden in a semi-final?
Siddanth ran in. He didn't go for the yorker. He bowled a "heavy ball"—hitting the pitch hard at 148kph.
Marsh defended solidly back down the pitch.
Siddanth fielded it in his follow-through and feigned a throw at the stumps. Marsh didn't flinch.
End of Over 1: 0 runs, 0 wickets.
A Maiden Over.
"That is gold dust!" Harsha Bhogle exclaimed. "Absolute gold dust! To start a high-pressure semi-final with a maiden over against the Orange Cap holder? That shows nerves of steel. Siddanth Deva has just told Punjab: 'Not today.'"
Punjab was rattled. The run rate was zero.
RP Singh bowled a tight second over from the other end. Punjab was 4/0 after 2.
Over 3:
Siddanth came back. James Hopes was on strike now.
Ball 1: Siddanth bowled a 145kph outswinger. Hopes swung and missed.
Ball 2: Hopes pushed a single to third man.
1 run.
Marsh was back on strike.
Ball 3: Siddanth bowled a bouncer. 146kph. Directed at the right shoulder. Marsh swayed out of the way.
Ball 4: Full and straight. Marsh drove it to mid-on. No run.
Ball 5: Marsh finally got one away. He guided a wide ball to third man.
Single.
Ball 6: Hopes on strike. Siddanth bowled the 105kph slower ball. Hopes was deceived, checked his shot, and the ball looped safely to mid-wicket. They scrambled a single.
End of Over 3: 3 runs.
"This is suffocating," Laxman Sivaramakrishnan said on commentary. "Punjab usually flies off the blocks. But they are 15 for 0 after 4 overs. Deva is bowling a Test match spell in T20 clothing."
In the stands at Wankhede, a group of Punjab fans were looking worried.
"Who is this kid?" one of them muttered, waving his red flag half-heartedly. "He's not letting them touch the ball!"
A Hyderabad fan nearby grinned. "That's the Hurricane, bhai. Get used to it."
---
Siddanth was taken off. The pressure he built yielded results.
RP Singh removed Hopes.
Marsh, frustrated by the slow start, tried to attack Scott Styris and was caught at deep-cover for a laborious 23.
Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh tried to rebuild, but the Deccan spinners—Ojha and Rohit Sharma (rolling his arm over)—kept it tight.
The scoreboard ticked over agonizingly slowly.
10 overs: 60 for 2.
15 overs: 100 for 3.
Yuvraj Singh was still there, batting on 35. He was the danger man. He was the one who could take 20 off an over and change the game.
Also at the crease was Mahela Jayawardene. Two legends.
Gilchrist looked at Siddanth. It was the 18th over. The death.
"Sid. Yuvraj is looking to go big. He likes pace. But he struggles with the cramping line. Bodyline, mate. Into the ribs."
---
"Deva is back," Shastri announced, his voice dropping an octave. "This is the matchup. The Prince of Punjab versus the Hyderabad Prodigy. Punjab is 115 for 3. They need a finish. Yuvraj is the key."
Ball 1: Yuvraj was on strike. He tapped his bat, looking to launch.
Siddanth ran in.
He banged it in short. 146kph. Aimed right at the left shoulder.
Yuvraj, expecting a yorker, was hurried. He fended it off awkwardly. The ball fell into the leg side.
Dot Ball.
Ball 2: Siddanth went full and wide. 150kph.
Yuvraj threw his hands at it. He sliced it over point. It wasn't timed perfectly, but it had enough power. It raced to the boundary.
FOUR.
"There she goes!" Danny Morrison yelled. "Yuvi finds the gap! He needed that! Can he make it a big over?"
Siddanth walked back. He wasn't rattled. His mind analysed the shot. He's swinging hard. He's not looking at the ball; he's looking at the boundary. He's committed to the pull shot if I bowl short again.
Ball 3: Siddanth ran in. Same aggressive approach. Same arm speed.
But he rolled his fingers. The 110kph Slower Bouncer.
It was a masterstroke.
Yuvraj saw the short ball. His eyes lit up. He pivoted, unleashing that massive, majestic pull shot that had destroyed Stuart Broad.
But the ball wasn't there.
It arrived an eternity later. Yuvraj had finished his swing. The ball hit the top edge of his bat—a clumsy, mistimed clunk.
It looped high into the air, swirling towards deep mid-wicket.
Herschelle Gibbs settled under it. He didn't have to move an inch.
He took the catch.
OUT. Yuvraj Singh c. Gibbs b. Deva 39.
The Wankhede exploded. Not for Punjab, but for the sheer brilliance of the deception.
"GOT HIM! HE HAS GOT THE BIG FISH!" Shastri roared. "That is a brain-fade from Yuvraj, but credit the bowler! He sold him the dummy! He took all the pace off! The slower bouncer completely undid one of the best hitters in the world! Siddanth Deva strikes a dagger into the heart of Kings XI Punjab!"
In Hyderabad, Arjun was jumping on the sofa. "THE BRAIN! IT'S THE BRAIN, UNCLE! HE OUT-THOUGHT HIM!"
Vikram was clapping so hard his hands hurt. "Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!"
Ball 4: Irfan Pathan walked in.
Siddanth greeted him with a 151kph yorker. Pathan dug it out. Dot.
Ball 5: Another yorker. Pathan squeezed it to long-on. Single.
Ball 6: Jayawardene on strike. He tried to scoop. Siddanth bowled wide. Jayawardene missed.
Dot.
End of Over 18: 5 runs, 1 Wicket.
Punjab was reeling. 126 for 4.
RP Singh bowled the 19th over, taking another wicket.
Punjab was 137 for 5.
Over 20: The Final Nail
Siddanth took the ball for the final over. Jayawardene and Piyush Chawla at the crease.
Ball 1: Jayawardene tried to reverse sweep. Siddanth bowled a straight, full ball. Jayawardene missed. It hit the pads.
Leg Bye.
Ball 2: Chawla on strike. Siddanth bowled a slower ball. Chawla swung and missed. Dot.
Ball 3: Chawla connected. A heave to cow corner. It didn't have the distance. One bounce to the fielder. Single.
Ball 4: Jayawardene. He stepped out. Siddanth followed him with a 148kph bodyline ball. Jayawardene could only dab it. Single.
Ball 5: Chawla tried to ramp. Siddanth bowled a wide yorker. Chawla missed.
Dot.
Ball 6: The final ball of the innings.
Siddanth ran in. 152kph. A searing yorker. Chawla jammed it down. They ran a frantic two as the fielder fumbled.
2 runs.
End of Over 20: 5 runs.
Siddanth's Final Figures: 4 overs, 1 maiden, 16 runs, 1 wicket.
Economy Rate: 4.00.
Kings XI Punjab: 142 for 6.
As the team walked off, Gilchrist put an arm around Siddanth.
"That," Gilchrist said, pointing at the scoreboard, "is match-winning bowling. You strangled them, mate. You absolutely strangled them."
Siddanth wiped sweat from his forehead. "143 to win. Should be easy."
"With this batting lineup?" Gilchrist grinned. "Watch us."
---
143 to win in a semi-final. It was a tricky total. Not big enough to panic, but big enough to cause a stumble if early wickets fell.
But Adam Gilchrist was in no mood for stumbles.
He walked out with Herschelle Gibbs, and from the first ball, it was clear what the plan was: Annihilation.
Brett Lee (Punjab) ran in to bowl the first over.
Gilchrist pulled him for six. Then drove him for four.
The crowd went wild.
In the dugout, Siddanth sat back with a towel around his neck. He watched as his teammates dismantled the bowling attack he had just outperformed.
It was a strange, luxurious feeling. Today, he was just a fan with the best seat in the house.
"This is brutal!" Harsha Bhogle said. "Gilchrist is in a hurry! He wants to catch the last flight back to Hyderabad tonight! Punjab has no answers!"
Gilchrist scored 85 off 35 balls. It was violent. It was beautiful.
Gibbs played the supporting role perfectly.
They reached 100 in the 9th over.
Siddanth turned to Rohit Sharma, who was sitting next to him, also padless.
"I don't think we're batting today, Rohit-bhai."
Rohit laughed, leaning back. "Fine by me. I'll take a paid holiday. Gilly is in a mood."
Punjab's bowlers—Lee, Sreesanth, Chawla—looked defeated. Their shoulders slumped. The 142 they had posted looked like a molehill against the mountain of Gilchrist's batting.
In Hyderabad, the community hall was a riot.
"LOOK AT GILLY!" Arjun screamed. "HE'S HITTING IT TO SECUNDERABAD!"
Vikram was relaxed for the first time in months. He was drinking his tea, smiling. "See? The bowlers win matches. Siddu set this up. Gilly is just finishing the paperwork."
The end came quickly.
Gilchrist was finally out, caught on the boundary trying to hit his 10th six. The crowd gave him a standing ovation.
VVS Laxman walked out to join Gibbs.
They needed 10 runs.
Laxman hit two boundaries—creamy, elegant drives that contrasted perfectly with the violence that preceded them.
Deccan Chargers Won by 9 wickets.
Overs: 13.2
It was a demolition.
---
The team ran onto the field. Siddanth hugged Gilchrist.
"Man of the Match has to be you, Gilly," Siddanth said. "That was insane."
"Maybe," Gilchrist winked. "But you gave me a target I could hit. If they'd got 180, it's a different game. You won this in the first innings."
At the presentation, Gilchrist was indeed named Man of the Match. But Ravi Shastri called Siddanth up for a chat.
Shastri: "Siddanth, come here, young man. 4 overs, 16 runs, 1 wicket. A maiden over in a semi-final against Shaun Marsh. Talk us through it."
Siddanth took the mic. He looked calm, professional.
"We knew Marsh was the key. The plan was just to cramp him. Hit the deck hard. Don't give him any width. It worked out."
Shastri: "And that slower ball to Yuvraj? That was a peach."
Siddanth smiled. "Yuvi-paaji is a legend. If you bowl pace to him, he hits you out of the park. I just tried to second-guess him. Luckily, it stuck in the hand nicely."
Shastri: "You're in the final. Against the Rajasthan Royals. Shane Warne. You beat them last time. Confident?"
Siddanth looked into the camera. "It's the final. Past records don't matter. It's about who handles the pressure better on Sunday. We're ready."
Shastri: "Well played, youngster. Go celebrate."
The stage was set.
The DY Patil Stadium. Sunday Night.
The Magician vs. The Chargers.
History was one match away.