POTM In A Losing Cause? Anil Kumble Still Holds This Unique IPL Record

Indian legend Anil Kumble, who is the highest wicket-taker for the nation in Tests, holds a unique IPL record, matched by none. Read below.

Anil Kumble led RCB to 2009 IPL Final, only to lose to Deccan Chargers in a low-scoring thriller

Source : @RCBTweets

It’s quite rare to win the Player of the Match award in a losing cause, that too in an IPL Final. Throughout the 17 seasons of IPL, only once it happened that a cricketer been awarded the Player of the Match award on the big stage, and that player is none other than Indian legend Anil Kumble.

While playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2009 IPL final, Anil Kumble won the Player of the Match award for his exceptional performance against Deccan Chargers. He took four wickets and conceded just 14 runs in his four-over spell. Despite his brilliance with the ball, RCB fell short and couldn’t clinch the title.

In the 2009 IPL final, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the toss and elected to bowl first against Deccan Chargers (DC), a decision that initially worked in their favour as they restricted DC to a moderate total of 143/6. Herschelle Gibbs was the standout performer for DC, scoring a crucial half-century. 

While chasing, RCB started positively with 57 runs in the powerplay but lost two key wickets of Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey. Despite efforts to recover, RCB fell short due to exceptional bowling performances by RP Singh, Andrew Symonds, and Harmeet Singh. They were eventually restricted to 137 runs, losing the final by just 6 runs.

It was a Final to remember for the ages, as both the teams who contested the mega event in 2009 were the same sides that finished bottom of the table in 2008.

Anil Kumble’s IPL Performance

Anil Kumble played 42 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL), picking up 45 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.58. His best bowling performance came when he took 5 wickets for just 5 runs. He also captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for two seasons, from 2009 to 2010, leading the team to 15 wins in 26 matches. Under his leadership, RCB maintained a solid win percentage of 57.69%.