Chennai Super Kings got their faltering IPL campaign back on track after two defeats, with a low-scoring win over the in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Mitchell Starc gave the Royal Challengers, who rested Chris Gayle, the perfect start by sending down the first ever first-over wicket-maiden in IPL history; a perfect in-swinging yorker knocking out Dwayne Smith’s off stump.
It looked as though CSK were targeting the bowling of David Wiese but the ploy failed when McCullum mistimed a hook and was caught in the deep for 20. The two early wickets meant that Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis had to rebuild and they played patiently, taking 6.4 overs for the 50 partnership, with few boundaries along the way.
The pair looked as they were set to accelerate, before Harshal Patel removed both in the 15th over of the innings – Du Plessis chopping on and Raina being pinned back on the crease and given out LBW. That brought Dhoni to the crease and, despite losing Jadeja for just three, the captain launched a counterattack – his 29 coming from 18 balls – and, though his dismissal prompted a collapse, it proved a match-winning innings. Three wickets fell in the final over as, from 98 for two, the home side lost seven wickets for 50 runs.
Gayle’s replacement, Nic Maddinson, was soon on his way back to the dugout having made just four. In truth, his wicket was blessed relief for those who place value on the aesthetics of batting. Worse was to come as AB de Villiers hit a full-toss straight to his compatriot du Plessis off the last ball of the fifth over and Mandeep Singh was run out off the first ball of the sixth to leave the Royal Challengers 34 for three.
Despite the early losses, RCB managed to stick with the run rate as Virat Kohli found support from Dinesh Karthik and the two put together a scratchy, dogged 50-partnership. Kohli looked as though he might see his side home, but was brilliantly run out by Dwayne Bravo.
Kohli came forward and blocked the final ball of the 14th over back down the pitch, but Bravo jumped and fielded it above his head then, in one movement, threw down the stumps at the striker’s end with the batsman scrambling in vain to make his ground. The very next ball, Karthik holed out meaning that RCB lost two in two balls twice in the innings; their final seven wickets fell for just 25.
