IPL 2016: Now is the time for Royal Challengers Bangalore

AB de Villiers stood still like a rock when Yuzvendra Chahal and Sarfaraz Khan jumped on him in celebration after the South African run-machine steered Royal Challengers Bangalore into the IPL 2016 final on Tuesday night. He did not let himself to be brought down by the weight of the two players pouncing on him at the same time. Instead, he soaked in the atmosphere, and deservingly so.

After all, he had single-handedly guided RCB to victory when RCB were staring defeat at 29/5 in pursuit of 159 with Gujarat Lions medium-pacer and Zimbabwe-bound Dhawal Kulkarni producing a dream spell in Power Play.

In all the adulation that AB was receiving on Tuesday night, it was easy to forget the vital contributions that first Stuart Binny and Iqbal Abdulla made. So much so that TV pundit and former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta wrote on twitter: “Marquee players will win u matches but u can't win @IPL without Indian domestic players performing, well done @iqqiabdullah @StuartBinny84.”

It was nothing new for AB to guide his side home from a precarious situation. He has played one memorable knock too many for South Africa and continues to do the same for his IPL franchise. And, for the champion batsman to admit that he still feels nervous according to situations despite all his accomplishments shows that he is human, after all.

That two of the top three highest run-getters – Virat Kohli (919) and AB de Villiers (682) – and two of the top three highest wicket-takers – Shane Watson and Yuzvendra Chahal (20 wickets apiece) – are from RCB speaks volumes of the team's progress, especially in the second half of the IPL.

Consider this. In the first seven matches, they won only two and lost five. Like Rising Pune Supergiants, Kohli's team also struggled with their bowling. They were already weakened by injuries to Australian Mitchell Starc and West Indian Samuel Badree prior to the tournament. However, since Starc's replacement, Chris Jordan, joined the squad in early May and became a regular in the 11, RCB have won seven of their last eight matches. Though expensive to start with as he was getting used to his first taste of IPL, the Englishman only got better as the tournament wore on.

This is undoubtedly RCB's best chance to win their maiden title in three attempts. They have sorted their bowling woes. Their captain Virat Kohli is batting like a dream as if he can do no wrong. Four centuries and six fifties in 15 visits to the crease this IPL have taken him to a new pedestal beyond even the reach of the likes of AB after coming into the tournament without a single T20 hundred.

Kohli has undoubtedly been the backbone of RCB's rise. Even as Chris Gayle has been having a lean patch, even as AB comes and goes, Kohli has been staying till the end on most occasions to see his side through. Kohli is not out there to match the strike rates of AB or Gayle. He has been anchoring the RCB innings for a major part in their campain, only two single digit scores showing the impact the India Test captain has had. He has inspired the youngsters in the team. The growth of KL Rahul as a T20 player was pleasing to see, especially when Gayle has been off-colour at the top of the order. Rahul has shown that he is more than just a long-format player. His IPL exploits, along with his wicketkeeping skills, has been a major reason for earning his maiden India limited-overs call-up.

Click here for the full coverage of the IPL 2016, including commentary, fixtures, scorecards and more.

They seem to have sorted it out with Watson and Chahal keeping it tight while Jordan has emerged as one of the best death bowlers. On conditions that suited spin, left-arm spinner Abdulla was used while on seaming conditions, Kohli relied on medium-pacer Sreenath Aravind to do the job.

They have also been brilliant on the field, with Kohli and AB leading the way. Even some of those whom you'd have thought where to hide them on the field have raised their bar. Binny's brilliant catching in the outfield, Abdulla's ability to cover the ground quickly have been some of the memorable moments. AB has made some difficult catches look so easy that he also tops the chart for the most catches in IPL 2016 with 19 besides also being No. 1 for most sixes this tournament.

It will only be a shame if RCB don't go on to win the IPL, especially when they play in front of their vociferous, red flag-waving Chinnaswamy Stadium supporters on Sunday night. The core of the team has been the same for the last couple of years ever since Kohli took over. Now is the time.