The morning after Qualifier 1, the internet was completely dominated by the events at the Wankhede Stadium. Siddanth Deva's lone fight and the funny run-out incident were the only things cricket fans wanted to talk about.
@CricFanatic99: 142 not out from 66 balls. The rest of the team scored 67. Deva just carried eleven grown men on his back to the final.
@OrangeArmyForce: That was not a cricket match. That was Siddanth Deva playing a single-player game on easy mode.
@MumbaiIndiansHub: Rohit Sharma said it best in the interview. If we got Deva early, we win. We didn't, so we lost. Simple.
@StatTrackerIPL: Siddanth Deva played all 12 balls in the 19th and 20th overs. He scored 51 runs in those two overs alone. Unreal fitness and strike rotation.
@CricketMemesDaily: Hardik: I am the main character. Deva: No, you are not.
@BumrahFanBoy: I have never seen Bumrah look that confused. Deva hit his perfect yorkers for boundaries. How do you defend against that?
@TeluguCinemaFreak: The "Aura Farming" run-out is the greatest moment in IPL history. Deva didn't even look at the stumps. He just threw it and went back to his mark.
@DannyMorrison: "He harvested his aura!" Pommie and I could not stop laughing in the box. Hardik's face was priceless!
@PollardPower: Deva really hit Malinga for a reverse-sweep six. Malinga! The disrespect is too high.
@SRH_Update: Straight to the final! We get a few days of rest while MI has to fight again in Qualifier 2.
@CricketBanter: Rohit's honest post-match interview: "Yeah, we lost the moment Sid walked in." Captain recognizing Captain.
@NitaAmbaniCam: The blue boundary sofa looked very sad in the last five overs of the first innings.
@IPL_Insider: The field placements by Deva in the second innings were perfect. He choked the runs and forced mistakes.
@BoultLightning: Trent Boult taking out Malinga with that final yorker to end the game was the perfect finish.
@RashidMagic: Rashid Khan bowling Kieron Pollard with the googly again. Pollard cannot read him at all.
@CricketLoverInd: Why did Hardik step out of his crease after defending a ball? He literally asked to be run out.
@FanGirl_Sid: 142*. 1 run out. 1 bowling wicket. Man of the Match. The Devil of Cricket owns the Wankhede.
@SportsJournalist: Siddanth Deva in the post-match interview: "I just threw the ball at the stumps." He makes magic sound like a normal Tuesday.
@MIPaltan: We have to beat KKR in Qualifier 2 now. We cannot waste this home advantage. We need a rematch with SRH in the final.
@SirajExpress: Siraj getting two big wickets in the middle overs. The young pace cartel is doing the job.
@Cricket_Humor: [Video of the entire run-out sequence with funny background music].
@SRH_Forever: Sunrisers middle order failed completely. But it doesn't matter when your captain is a machine.
@T20Stats: Deva's strike rate was over 215. On a pitch where everyone else struggled, he looked like he was playing on a different ground.
@CricketAddict: The way Deva farmed the strike in the last four overs is a masterclass in game awareness. He refused to let the tailenders face a single ball.
@IPL_Moments: The handshake between Rohit and Deva at the end. Total respect.
@HyderabadBlues: We are retaining the cup. The final is in Hyderabad. We cannot lose in our own stadium.
@CricWorld: The greatest T20 innings ever played? It is definitely in the top three.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad squad flew back to Hyderabad the next morning. They had earned three full days of rest before the grand final.
---
The Mumbai Indians were playing against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Mumbai played completely different cricket today. They bowled Kolkata out for a low score. Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets. In the second innings, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard chased the target down easily. Mumbai Indians won the match comfortably.
---
The next afternoon, the Sunrisers Hyderabad team gathered at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium for their final practice session.
The stadium was empty, but the ground staff were busy painting the lines and rolling the pitch for the final match.
Siddanth walked into the dressing room. The players were in a very good mood. They were joking and laughing.
Siddanth clapped his hands once. The room went quiet.
"Okay guys," Siddanth told his team. "We beat them two days ago. Do not think tomorrow will be the same. They just won Qualifier 2. They have momentum. They know this pitch. Do not get lazy today in the nets. Hit your lengths. Watch the ball. We play hard until the final ball is bowled tomorrow."
The players nodded seriously. The captain was right. They went out to the practice nets and trained with focus. Siddanth watched his fast bowlers hit the practice stumps over and over again. He was satisfied. The team was ready.
The day of the IPL Final arrived.
The entire city of Hyderabad was buzzing with excitement. Traffic was heavy around the stadium area. People wore orange shirts everywhere.
The match was scheduled to start at 8:00 PM.
At 6:30 PM, the official television broadcast began.
The pre-match show, Extraaa Innings T20, went live to millions of viewers across the country.
Gaurav Kapur, the host, stood in the center of the television studio. Behind him, a large digital screen displayed the logos of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Mumbai Indians. Sitting around the studio desk were the cricket experts: Sunil Gavaskar, Kevin Pietersen, and Sanjay Manjrekar.
"Welcome, everyone, to the biggest night of the year!" Gaurav Kapur said to the camera, smiling broadly. "It is the grand final of the 2017 Indian Premier League. The Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on the Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. It is a clash of the titans. We have a fantastic panel of experts here to break it down. Gentlemen, what a match we have ahead of us."
"It is the perfect final, Gaurav," Sunil Gavaskar said, nodding his head. "You have the two best teams in the tournament facing each other. Mumbai Indians fought their way back through Qualifier 2. Sunrisers Hyderabad have been resting and waiting. It is going to be a brilliant contest."
"Let's talk about the Mumbai Indians first," Gaurav said, looking at his notes. "They had a heavy loss against Hyderabad a few days ago, but they bounced back perfectly against Kolkata. What makes this Mumbai team so dangerous in a final, KP?"
Kevin Pietersen leaned forward. "It is their experience, Gaurav. They have players who know how to handle the pressure of big games. Look at their captain, Rohit Sharma. He is calm. He doesn't panic. He has Kieron Pollard in the middle order. Pollard can take a game away from you in three overs if you bowl badly to him. And then you look at their bowling."
"Their bowling is very reliable," Sanjay Manjrekar added. "Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah are the best death-bowling pair in the country. They bowl fast, and they hit the yorkers. If Mumbai bats first and sets a good total, Malinga and Bumrah will make it very hard for Hyderabad to chase it."
"But they have a huge problem today," Sunil Gavaskar interrupted gently. "Their problem is the team they are playing against. Let us look at Sunrisers Hyderabad. I don't think I have ever seen a more complete T20 team."
The screen behind them changed to show pictures of the Sunrisers Hyderabad players.
"Let's break down this Hyderabad team," Gaurav Kapur agreed. "Their top order is frightening. David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, and Sanju Samson. And if they fail, as we saw in the last match, you have Siddanth Deva coming in to score a hundred. How do you bowl to this batting lineup?"
"You have to get early wickets," Pietersen said simply. "That is the only way. Malinga did it in the last game. He got Warner on the first ball. But the issue is Siddanth Deva. He is in the form of his life. He scored 142 runs from 66 balls in the semi-final. He hit perfectly good yorkers for boundaries. He switched his stance mid-delivery. When a batsman is playing like that, the bowlers just run out of ideas."
"And it is not just their batting," Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out. "Look at their bowling cartel. It is the best bowling unit we have seen in ten years of the IPL. Bhuvneshwar Kumar swings the new ball. Trent Boult brings left-arm pace. Mohammed Siraj is bowling very fast and aggressive in the middle. And then you have the spin. Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal. They choke the runs completely."
"Sanjay is right," Gavaskar nodded. "Hyderabad restricts teams to under 150 runs easily. They bowled out the opposition five times in the group stage. Five times! That is unheard of in T20 cricket. The Mumbai batsmen will have to play very smart cricket today to survive all twenty overs against this attack."
"Let us talk about the captains," Gaurav Kapur steered the conversation to the leaders. "This is a fascinating matchup. We have Rohit Sharma on one side and Siddanth Deva on the other. Two of the most successful leaders in this format."
Gaurav looked at the statistics on his screen.
"Rohit Sharma won the IPL in 2015," Gaurav read out. "He brought the Mumbai Indians their very first IPL cup. He changed the culture of that team. He made them winners."
"He is a great leader," Pietersen agreed. "Rohit gives his players freedom. He backs his bowlers. He is very calm under pressure. Winning that first cup for Mumbai made him a hero in that city."
"But then you look at the other dugout," Gaurav Kapur continued, his voice rising slightly. "Siddanth Deva. As a Captain he won IPL in 2011 with the Deccan Chargers. He won it in 2014 with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He won it last year in 2016. Three IPL trophies as a captain. He has the most runs. He has the most wickets. His record as a leader is completely unmatched."
"Deva is a different type of captain," Sunil Gavaskar observed. "Rohit is a player's captain. Deva is a mastermind. He controls every single blade of grass on the field. You watch him during a match. He moves a fielder two steps to the left, and the very next ball, the catch goes exactly there. He tells his bowler to bowl a slower bouncer, and the wicket falls. He orchestrates the game. He reads the opposition perfectly."
"And he leads from the front," Manjrekar added. "When his team collapsed to 8 for 3 in the semi-final, he didn't hide. He went out there and scored a century. He takes the responsibility entirely on his own shoulders."
"Which brings us to a massive piece of history," Gaurav Kapur said, looking straight at the camera. "If Sunrisers Hyderabad win tonight, they will achieve something that has never been done before. In the ten-year history of the Indian Premier League, no team has ever won the title back-to-back. No team has defended the cup. It is considered a curse."
"It is incredibly hard to win back-to-back titles," Kevin Pietersen explained. "The tournament is long. Players get tired. Other teams figure out your weaknesses. There is an auction, so the squads change slightly. The pressure of being the defending champions is very heavy. You become the target for every other team."
"But this Hyderabad team looks immune to pressure," Gavaskar stated firmly. "They don't look tired. They look hungry. Siddanth Deva has built a culture of winning."
"Alright, gentlemen," Gaurav Kapur said, crossing his arms on the desk. "It is time to put your necks on the line. We need predictions. Who is lifting the IPL trophy tonight in Hyderabad?"
Gaurav looked at Sanjay Manjrekar first.
"Mumbai is a great team, and Rohit is a great captain," Manjrekar began carefully. "But Sunrisers Hyderabad are playing at home. Their bowling is too strong. I think Hyderabad will win it."
Gaurav turned to Kevin Pietersen.
"I agree with Sanjay," Pietersen said quickly. "You cannot bet against Siddanth Deva. He wants his fifth trophy. Sunrisers Hyderabad will win tonight."
Gaurav finally looked at the legendary Sunil Gavaskar.
"Sunny bhai?" Gaurav asked. "Do you think Mumbai can cause an upset?"
Sunil Gavaskar shook his head slowly. "No, Gaurav. I don't. In cricket, anything can happen. A run-out or a bad over can change a game. But if we look at the pure facts, Sunrisers Hyderabad is the perfect T20 team. They have the best top order. They have the best fast bowlers. They have the best spinners. And they have the best captain in the world. I am predicting a victory for Sunrisers Hyderabad. I think they will break the back-to-back curse tonight."
"A unanimous decision from our experts!" Gaurav Kapur announced to the camera. "Everyone believes Sunrisers Hyderabad will take the cup. But the Mumbai Indians are fighters. They will not give up easily. Tomorrow we will know who will be the champions."
The broadcast cut away from the studio.
@CricFanatic99: The experts are unanimous! Everyone picks SRH to win. Let's see if MI can prove them wrong. #IPLFinal #SRHvsMI
@OrangeArmyForce: The stadium will be completely ORANGE. This is our fortress. Mumbai is not leaving here with the cup.
@StatTrackerIPL: No team has ever won back-to-back IPL titles. SRH is playing against history today.
@CricketMemesDaily: Rohit trying to figure out how to stop Deva from hitting sixes.
@BumrahFanBoy: Bumrah needs to bowl the perfect yorker to Deva early. Do not give him free hits.
@KP24 (Kevin Pietersen): The atmosphere in Hyderabad looks absolutely electric. The best place for a final.
@SRH_Update: Bhuvi, Siraj, and Boult. The fast bowling cartel is ready to hunt. Give us early wickets!
@CricketBanter: Pre-match show was basically 30 minutes of experts praising SRH. Mumbai fans must be so mad right now.
@CricketLoverInd: Five IPL trophies for Deva or three IPL trophies for Rohit? We find out tonight.
@DevaCult: The Devil of Cricket is ready. Fifth title loading...
@SportsJournalist: Gavaskar called SRH the perfect T20 team. That is a massive compliment from a legend.
@MIPaltan: We are Mumbai! We never give up! Rohit will score a big century.
@SirajExpress: Siraj playing a final in his home city. The crowd is going to back him massively.
@Cricket_Humor: [Picture of the IPL trophy with a 'Reserved for SRH' tag on it].
@SRH_Forever: Back to back! Let's break the curse!
@T20Stats: Deva's record in finals is incredible. He always performs when the pressure is the highest.
@RaviShastriQuotes: "Clash of the Titans!" Ravi bhai hyping up the final perfectly.
@CricWorld: Grab your popcorn. The IPL 2017 Final begins now!