Hyderabad's imposing total of 208/7 was built around a swashbuckling 38-ball 69 from David Warner. Yuvraj Singh's stroke-filled 23-ball 38 added a late surge while Ben Cutting smashed 23 runs off the last over to take them to a 200-plus score.
Royal Challengers Bangalore looked like they were cantering to the title when after Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli put on a 114-run opening partnership in just 66 balls. But Hyderabad fought back by dismissing both the openers and then Bangalore crumbled. Every other Bangalore batsman failed to get bowling as Hyderabad's bowling depth shone through. In the end, with 18 required off the last over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a succession of yokers to ensure Hyderabad won their first IPL title.
Here's how the action unfolded:
End of game:
Wow, what a game. Virat Kohli is remarkably gracious in defeat, congratulating each Hyderabad player. Great spirit there. You had to feel for Sachin Baby, he was crying off the last ball there. In hindsight, Kohli will be furious at himself - his wicket at a critical juncture gave Hyderabad the impetus to get back into the game.
But spare a thought for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They never gave up, even when Gayle was battering them and Kohli was running away with it. They kept fighting and when they got a sliver of an opening, they forced the door open. David Warner has been in incredible form and he was brilliant again, but that last over from Ben Cutting ultimately changed it.
So, we have a new champion. Sunrisers Hyderabad are IPL champions! RCB have fallen short at the last hurdle, the third time they have lost an IPL final. Thank you for following our live coverage!
Over 20: RCB 200/7 (Baby 18*, Abdulla 4*)
Bhuvi you beauty! Bowls pinpoint yorkers, ball after ball, and Bangalore cannot get anything away. They only manage to get nine off the last over and Sunrisers Hyderabad are champions of IPL 2016. What a victory for them! In RCB's den, especially after the kind of start Hyderabad had got! David Warner has won the IPL!
Over 19: RCB 191/6 (Baby 15*, Jordan 2*)
Another one falls for RCB - Binny runs himself out. And now RCB are being choked by the Fizz. Swing violently but can't get anything away. But finally Baby manages to swing the last ball away over long-on. RCB need 18 runs (or three sixes) off the last over.
Over 18: RCB 179/5 (Binny 8*, Baby 7*)
Right. RCB need 30 off their two overs. As expected, Bhuvneshwar delivers a good over. Baby manages a reverse sweep four off the last delivery but nothing else. Someone needs to do something special now.
Over 17: RCB 172/5 (Binny 7*, Baby 2*)
This is turning out to be a choke of epic proportions. Watson tries to slog Mustafizur. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It was the cutter, Watson does not time it properly and Henriques catches it easily. Stuart Binny manages to hit a straight six to just about keep RCB in the game. But despite that six, Hyderabad still look firm favourites.
Over 16: RCB 162/4 (Watson 9*, Baby 1*)
Wild heave and KL Rahul loses his bearings...and his stumps. He might get a mouthful from his captain because quite frankly, that was a horror shot. And inch by inch, Hyderabad has pulled it back. They have The Fizz and Bhuvi still up their sleeve. This is all going to come down to Watson now. RCB need 47 off 24.
Over 15: RCB 158/3 (Rahul 10*, Watson 7*)
It looked like it would be a good over...but big Shane Watson plants the back foot down and drives it straight down the ground. Vital six and it keeps RCB alive. Things have changed dramatically here at the second Strategic Time-Out: RCB now need 51 off 30 balls.
The choke word is going around. RCB fans not too happy with the way AB de Villiers was dismissed.
Over 14: RCB 149/3 (Rahul 7*, Watson 0)
The match is turning! AB de Villiers tries to send Bipul Sharma into orbit but only manages to get it on the toe of his bat. Moises Henriques makes no mistake. The Big Three of RCB are back in the hut. Can Hyderabad pull a rabbit out of the hat?
Over 13: RCB 141/2 (Villiers 4*, Rahul 1*)
Kohli has been dismissed by Sran! Misses a straight delivery and the ball rattles the stumps. He will not reach 1000 runs! But another fantastic innings from him as he gets 54. Hyderabad are just about managing to stay in the match.
Gayle departs and de Villiers arrives. And to make matters worse for Hyderabad, Kohli looks like he's stepped up a notch - hits his signature whip shot through mid-wicket.
Over 11: RCB 120/1 (Kohli 38*, Villiers 0*)
Put down! Kohli gets another leading edge, Mustafizur at short third man gets a hand but can't get it on his second attempt. But Henriques strikes with the wicket of Gayle. He gets a top-edge, trying to swing wildly and the catch is taken. Hyderabad finally have a wicket but has it come a little too late in the day?
Here's a glimpse of what he did today:
Over 10: RCB 112/0 (Gayle 75*, Kohli 31*)
Now Kohli joins the party and this time, he shows scant respect to Mustafizur. A four through the covers and then a six over long-off. The Fizz gets his own back by bowling the perfume ball to Gayle but still no wicket. RCB are cruising and they're partying at the Chinnaswamy...
Over 9: RCB 100/0 (Gayle 74*, Kohli 20*)
This is a proper shellacking from Chris Gayle here! Henriques pitches it up, gets driven for six over mid-off. He bowls short and Gayle violently swings his huge bat - the ball goes further back. Goes wide off the last ball and Gayle smashes it to the extra-cover boundary. Hyderabad are going down very very quickly.
Over 8: RCB 79/0 (Gayle 58*, Kohli 15*)
As Sanjay Manjrekar says on live commentary, "Gayle loves the sight screen at the opposite end."
Pitched up and smashed back. Same place, same consequences. It's increasingly looking like Virat Kohli won't need to get those 81 runs to get to 1000...
Over 7: RCB 69/0 (Gayle 51*, Kohli 13*)
Chris Gayle gets to a 50 in just 25 balls. Another in his zone, he swings it and it's a six over mid-on. At the first Strategic Time-Out, Bangalore are exactly where they want to be, 69/0 in 7 overs.
Over 6: RCB 59/0 (Gayle 44*, Kohli 10*)
What an over from Mustafizur. Sixes are raining everywhere but the Fizz steams in and gives away only four runs in that over. Maybe RCB have deliberately decided to take it easy against him?
Over 5: RCB 55/0 (Gayle 43*, Kohli 8*)
Welcome back, #UniverseBoss. Looks like he saved his best for the last. Six over third-man, another wicket through his favourite mid-wicket. Runs come thick and fast for RCB here and it's Gayle who's powering them through.
Over 4: RCB 42/0 (Gayle 32*, Kohli 5*)
Chris Gayle is playing and missing, but on the three deliveries, he does hit it, the ball disappears. Two go in the direction of mid-wicket, one over the boundary and one along the ground. He flicks the last one over deep square leg. RCB are on track and Gayle is looking very very dangerous.
Over 3: RCB 26/0 (Gayle 16*, Kohli 5*)
What a bat Chris Gayle has. He drives through the line, the ball hits the inside edge and runs away for a boundary. And on that note, someone is fighting for the bowlers...
Over 2: RCB 18/0 (Kohli 4*, Gayle 11*)
Chris Gayle goes big and just clears the mid-on boundary. Not as big as he usually hits them, but that was just picked up and deposited. And through those runs, he completes 9000 runs in his Twenty20 career.
Over 1: RCB 5/0 (Kohli 4*, Gayle 1*)
Streaky. Kohli gets a thick edge but it goes over the slip cordon. Bangalore are away but probably not in the way they would have wanted.
Innings break:
Well. Warner fired again, Yuvraj looked imperial before he was dismissed and Cutting...well...cut loose right at the end. Tell you what, 209 will not be easy for Bangalore to chase down, despite their batting strength. Hyderabad have probably the best bowling lineup in the competition. But, Virat Kohli is batting like a man possessed and if he score a century in 15 overs, he can just about do anything. This is still 50-50, folks.
Over 20: SRH 208/7 (Cutting 39*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1*)
Cutting! That's lift-off for ball. Takes a few steps down and swings wildly. Ball goes over the roof. Flat-bats the next ball for another six over mid-wicket. And finally smashes it over extra-cover on the final delivery. Three sixes off the over and Hyderabad have posted 208/7 in their 20 overs. It's not beyond RCB but it'll take some doing from their Galacticos to chase it down.
Over 19: SRH 184/7 (Cutting 16*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 0*)
Hyderabad lose the wicket of Bipul Sharma but they won't mind that wicket, because this has been a great over for them. Two boundaries and five wides in that over. Poor over from Jordan, despite the wicket.
Over 18: SRH 168/6 (Cutting 10*, Bipul Sharma 0*)
This is silly from Hyderabad now. Naman Ojha runs halfway down the pitch from the non-striker's end, his partner Cutting hasn't even moved a step. There's only way this will end - Watson lines up the stumps and throws them down. A waste of a wicket. Cutting does manage to repair some of the damage with a six and a four at the end of the over. Hyderabad will want more of those.
Over 17: SRH 156/5 (Ojha 7*, Cutting 0*)
No, we won't see see a Yuvraj special. Slashes wildly but Watson at cover dives forward and picks up a smart catch. Another important wicket for Bangalore. They're pulling this back. Hyderabad get to 150 but 200 looks too far now.
Over 16: SRH 147/4 (Yuvraj 38*, Hooda 0)
Aravind gets another one. Hooda tried to go big but can't clear Kohli at long-on. This sets up an interesting last four overs.
Over 15: SRH 140/3 (Yuvraj 32*, Hooda 2*)
Someone will need to check this but that 107 metre six from Yuvraj Singh has to be among the biggest this season. For good measure, gets a boundary off the next ball. It's been a while since we've seen Yuvi in this mood. May it carry on.
Over 14: SRH 127/3 (Yuvraj 20*, Hooda 1*)
Warner falls and this is a huge moment in the match. Ordinary ball from Aravind, short and wide. Warner slashes but the leading edge is gracefully accepted by Iqbal Abdulla for 69. What a wicket. This could be the difference between 200+ and 160-170.
Over 13: SRH 120/2 (Warner 65*, Yuvraj 18*)
Against the run of play, a good over from Chahal. Beats Yuvraj in flight and restricts the batsmen to just four singles in the over. And here's an interesting statistic about Warner from the folks at Impact Index.
Over 12: SRH 116/2 (Warner 64*, Yuvraj 16*)
Yuvraj flicks it off. He looks so good when he plays shots like that. A boundary and then a six. Are we going to see a Yuvraj special finally? Keep watching.
Over 11: SRH 99/2 (Warner 62*, Yuvraj 4*)
Regal, royal, majestic. Yuvraj Singh spoils a good over from Watson by unleashing a full-blooded cover drive off the last ball. Glances of the Yuvraj of old.
Over 10: SRH 97/2 (Warner 61*, Yuvraj 0*)
First boundary: tucked away deftly from the legs. Second boundary: cut away through cover. Almost gets his head taken off by a Virat Kohli throw. But he won't be happy with how the over ends: Henriques gets another leading edge to Chris Jordan and spoons a simple catch to Chahal. Hyderabad lose their second wicket.
Over 9: SRH 88/1 (Warner 52*, Henriques 4*)
Chahal bowls it short and wide. Warner reaches out and cuts it fiercely for a four. Repeats the shot two balls later and gets to a sumptuous half-century. He has been astounding throughout the tournament but he is batting like he's on a different planet.
Over 8: SRH 75/1 (Warner 41*, Henriques 3*)
But Warner shows no signs of stopping. Another heave and he gets another big six.
Over 7: SRH 65/1 (Warner 33*, Henriques 1*)
Yuvendra Chahal strikes! Dhawan who was looking very good, top-edges one while trying to sweep. He gets 28 but that's the perfect example of a good start being thrown away.
Over 6: SRH 59/0 (Warner 31*, Dhawan 25*)
Just why is Virat Kohli persisting with Gayle? Dhawan sweeps him for a four, then Warner majestically slog-sweeps him off the last ball for a six. This is a very strong start from Hyderabad and Warner has now crossed 800 runs this IPL season.
Over 5: SRH 46/0 (Warner 24*, Dhawan 20*)
David Warner lifts off against Shane Watson. Whatte shot. Goes down on one knee and lifts it over extra-cover for a big six. Takes a single, gives the single to Dhawan and then watches Dhawan hit it straight for a six. Dhawan passes the strike over again and Warner guides it for a boundary. This is the over!
Over 4: 27/0 (Warner 12*, Dhawan 13*)
Ok, Shikhar Dhawan looks in good touch. Slaps one back from Gayle to get a boundary. This is steady from Hyderabad.
Over 3: SRH 21/0 (Warner 11*, Dhawan 8*)
David Warner slashes and slashes hard and gets the boundary. Then he leans back and punches it through the onside. And finally Hyderabad are off!
Over 2: SRH 12/0 (Warner 3*, Dhawan 7*)
That's a bit of a surprise. The big Chris Gayle gets the second over. And almost gets Dhawan on the fifth ball, but drops it. Just five runs off that over and it's a good start.
Over 1: SRH 7/0 (Warner 2*, Dhawan 5*)
Shikhar Dhawan is due a big one and he times the first ball he faces away, but only for a single. He gets the strike back later in the over and unleashes a textbook straight drive for four. Good shot!
7.45 pm: While we wait for the first ball of the match, a look at the pitch. The Chinnaswamy pitch always carries a reputation of being batsman-friendly and this one looks no different...nice and hard.
And if you're among the rare few who haven't joined the AB de Villiers fan-club yet, this should probably seal the deal:
7.30 pm: Ok, the important news: David Warner has won the toss and Sunrisers Hyderabad will bat first. Brave move batting first especially considering how well Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore have chased.
RCB are fielding an unchanged squad while Hyderabad have Mustafizur Rahman back in place of Trent Boult.
The other question on everybody's lips is about the weather: it poured last night in Bengaluru and there are chances of a shower today. But no need to worry: we have a reserve day tomorrow.
7.15 pm: And we're finally here.
Fifty-nine matches, eight teams (two of them new ones), almost two months and we're here at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium for the final of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League. And guess what, there's going to be change this time...no Mumbai Indians, no Chennai Super Kings or Kolkata Knight Riders. This IPL will see a brand new champion. Will it be David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad or Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore?
The answer to that should be clear in the next three and a half hours so follow us here on the Scroll.in live blog of the IPL final.
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