Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Date: May 23, 2017 | Qualifier 1 — RCB vs Mumbai Indians
Status: IPL 2017 Playoffs
Evening Shadows and Electric Sky
Bengaluru wasn't breathing — it was buzzing.
Neon signs flickered across MG Road. Vendors sold tricolor bands outside Chinnaswamy. Every hoarding in a five-kilometer radius bore one face: Ishaan Verma, flanked by Kohli and de Villiers in full war paint. Headlines screamed:
🗞️ "The Big Three. Can They Take RCB to a Second Title?"
Inside the dressing room, the mood was sharp but calm. Ishaan laced up in silence, AirPods in, Virat tapping his pads in rhythm. AB de Villiers practiced with a tennis ball against the wall.
RCB had finished top of the table. Mumbai were second. Tonight was the short road to the final. Win here, and you rest. Lose — and you fight again.
🟩 Toss and Build-up
Virat flipped the coin. Rohit called tails. It was heads.
RCB elected to bat.
Kohli: "Big game, big total."
Rohit: "See you in the chase."
🟥 First Innings — RCB Batting
Over 1.1 — Bumrah to Ishaan
Back of a length, shaping in. Ishaan shoulders arms.
Over 1.2 — Bumrah to Ishaan
Shorter, tighter. Ishaan tries to steer past point—misses. Crowd murmurs.
Commentary (Harsha Bhogle):
"The kid's had a thunderous season, but this is playoff cricket. The noise in your head is often louder than the one outside."
Over 2.3 — McClenaghan to Ishaan
Good length on off. Ishaan tries a flick — thick edge — one bounce to slip. He exhales, stares at the middle of his bat.
🟥 The Dismissal
Over 3.1 — McClenaghan to Ishaan
Slower ball. Ishaan shapes for a ramp…
…scoops it into the air…
…third man sprints in, dives…
Taken.
Ishaan Verma c Hardik b McClenaghan 7 (9)
Chinnaswamy gasped. Then went silent.
Stump Mic:
McClenaghan: "Too cute, mate."
Hardik (clapping): "You want finals? Play the hard way."
Crowd Reaction:
Muted. Almost… confused. A child in an RCB jersey turned to his father:
"Why did he play that?"
🟨 Kohli and ABD — The Rescue Job
Kohli walked in calm. De Villiers followed him by the 6th over.
They rebuilt like stoneworkers — hammering edges into art.
Kohli 61 (45) — wristy, whippy, wary.
ABD 72* (41) — all angles and arrogance.
RCB: 174/6 (20 overs)
Respectable. Not definitive.
🟦 Innings Break — Inside the Dressing Room
Ishaan sat alone, elbows on knees, in the far-left corner. He hadn't removed his pads yet. The scoreboard glowed outside:
"RCB: 174/6 | Target for MI: 175"
Kohli walked over slowly, sweaty and focused, tossed a towel onto the bench.
Kohli:
"Don't sit there like you lost us the game."
Ishaan didn't reply.
Kohli (softer):
"You made a bad call. We've all done it. Finals don't remember what you did today. They only remember what you do next."
Ishaan finally looked up.
Kohli:
"Big players rise again. In finals."
🟥 Second Innings — MI Chase
MI 18/0 (2.1)
Then came Umesh Yadav.
Over 3.2 — Umesh to Parthiv Patel
Length ball, nipped back. Bowled him.
Over 5.4 — Chahal to Rohit Sharma
Flighted, Rohit sweeps — straight to short fine.
MI 39/2
Krunal and Pollard tried to rebuild. Bumrah's calmness faded in front of Chahal's loop and cunning. Washington Sundar strangled the middle overs.
🟨 Final Over Drama
MI needed 15 off the last over.
Aravind to bowl.
Over 20.1 — Dot.
20.2 — Single.
20.3 — Wicket. Hardik out.
20.4 — Full toss. Two runs.
20.5 — Yorker. Dot.
20.6 — Attempted big shot… skies it…
Taken.
RCB WIN BY 11 RUNS. THROUGH TO THE FINAL.
🟥 Post-Match — The Silent Corner
The team was celebrating.
AB was laughing with Chahal. Gayle was hugging Umesh. The Bangalore crowd was deafening.
But Ishaan sat again — same spot. Pads now off. Tape still around his fingers.
Kohli walked over again. This time he had two bottles of water.
He handed one over.
Kohli:
"You'll bat first in the final. No debate."
Ishaan looked at him.
Kohli (grinning):
"Write your reply then. On the biggest stage."
Ishaan:
"To what?"
Kohli:
"To every doubt. Yours included."
🟩 Outside Chinnaswamy — Midnight
The crowd had thinned. Fireworks echoed in the background. Ishaan walked alone toward the team bus.
At the stadium exit, a fan held out a black-and-red banner:
🪧 "Our Next Kohli."
He smiled faintly. But inside, something stirred.
"I'm not the next anything," he thought.
"Tomorrow… I write my own name."