Before big names stole the headlines, it was a forgotten man from Haryana who turned a dream final into his own fairytale
On a humid May evening in Chennai, with the floodlights casting long shadows over the Chepauk outfield, few could've guessed that a relatively unknown cricketer would seize the spotlight from under the noses of the game's biggest stars.
The 2012 IPL Final had all the right ingredients: the defending champions Chennai Super Kings, a star-studded cast of Indian and international legends, and a crowd packed to the rafters, playing in their own backyard against the Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK posted a towering 190/3, setting the stage for their third consecutive title. But as it turned out, a different story was about to be written.
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Manvinder Bisla, drafted in ahead of Brendon McCullum, wasn't exactly a name that made opponents tremble. Before this match, he had scored just 196 runs in 11 innings for the Knight Riders with a modest strike rate. But sometimes, a player's finest hour doesn't follow a build-up — it bursts forth, unannounced.
Chasing 191, KKR's hopes were dealt an early blow when Gautam Gambhir, their captain and rock, was bowled in the very first over. What followed, however, was a jaw-dropping counterattack. Bisla didn't just steady the ship; he turned it into a speedboat, crashing through CSK's bowling plans.
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In a blistering innings that swung the final on its head, Bisla smashed 89 runs off just 48 balls. He danced down the pitch, made room outside the leg, and carved boundaries with ridiculous ease. His strike rate? Nearly double his career average. His timing? Impeccable. His intent? Undeniable.
The real statement came early. In the fourth over, Albie Morkel was taken apart — four consecutive boundaries through the off-side. That one over flipped the energy. From there, Bisla shifted gears like a man possessed. A slower ball from Bravo was lifted high into the stands. CSK's spin trump card, Ashwin, was lofted straight for six, twice.
The partnership between Bisla and Jacques Kallis (69) swelled to 136 runs, the second-highest in IPL final history. Kallis played the senior role, rotating the scoreboard and allowing Bisla to take centre stage. And boy, did he own it.
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Up until that night, no team had ever chased more than 188 against Chennai in the IPL. That fortress was stormed by a man who, ironically, wasn't even guaranteed a spot in the XI.
Bisla's 89 became the second-highest individual score in an IPL final at that time, just behind Murali Vijay's 95 in 2011. His knock didn't just rattle CSK — it established a new benchmark for composure and courage under pressure.
Even when Bisla fell short of a century — undone by a slower ball from Morkel — the damage was done. Kallis, ever the professional, transitioned from anchor to aggressor. And when the finishing line loomed large, Manoj Tiwary (9) calmly nudged two boundaries behind square to silence the crowd and crown KKR champions.
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Behind the numbers lies a narrative of sheer audacity. Here was a player without a Ranji team, lacking the buzz or baggage, walking into a pressure cooker and setting it ablaze. He didn't just pull off a one-time miracle. He played like a man with nothing to lose and everything to prove.
And sometimes, that's the most dangerous kind of player.
Credit: ESPN
