Chennai pulls off a thriller
Chasing a challenging target of 206 runs to win, needing 43 off the last three overs, M S Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings again produced a miracle. CSK managed to chase down the target with 5 wickets and 2 balls to spare. Opening batsman Ambati Rayudu, who played with a cool head, scripted the chase in style before getting run out in 18th over. He scored 82 of 53 balls and earned the orange cap too. Captain cool MS Dhoni 70 of 34 balls and CSK’s star finisher DJ Bravo 14 of 7 balls pulled off a sensational win.
For Royal Challengers 4-023-1 and Yuzvendra Chahal 40-26-2 played an important hand in keeping CSK run chase under pressure, but they could not get the required support from other bowlers.
Earlier, A B de Villiers and Quinton de Kock struck blistering half centuries to propel Royal Challengers Bangalore to 205 for eight against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
De Villiers smashed 68 off 30 balls, hitting eight sixes and two fours during his onslaught, while de Kock made 53 off 37 deliveries with the help of four sixes and a boundary.
RCB’s was a strange innings as it saw two wicketmaiden overs and a triplewicket final over, which also fetched the home team 14 runs. The middle overs, though, were thoroughly dominated by the batsmen.
Invited to bat, RCB were off to a brisk start with de Kock leading the charge initially.
However, CSK got the big wicket of RCB skipper Virat Kohli when Shardul Thakur had him caught at mid-on by a diving Ravindra Jadeja with the score reading 35 at the start of fifth over. Kohli had reached 2000 IPL runs before he was dismissed for 18.
CSK’s joy was short-lived as de Villiers joined forces with compatriot de Kock to flay the the visiting team’s bowling attack.
Playing shots all around the wicket with consummate ease, the duo of de Villiers and de Kock did not spare any CSK bowlers at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
De Villiers smashed Thakur for three consecutive sixes to bring the home crowd to its feet, even as de Kock played the supporting role to perfection. One of de Villiers’ sixes landed outside the stadium.
However, Dwayne Bravo brought some relief to the CSK camp when he had de Kock superbly caught and bowled with a slower ball.
The end of a 135-run partnership triggered a collapse of sorts as big fish de Villiers holed out to a short Imran Tahir ball that was going away.
From 138 for one at the start of 14th over, RCB slumped to 142 for four, following which Mandeep Singh (32 of 17 balls) and Washington Sundar (13 off 4) propped up the home team.