What a ridiculous, peculiar, brilliant game that was. Kolkata will regret Uthappa and Pandey’s behaviour, and, perhaps that Ten Doeschate didn’t go earlier. But what an effort from Chennai - their spinners bowled very well, very well managed by Dhoni, and Dwayne Bravo produced the kind of exceptional performance that is within the ambit only of certain types of player and person. He finished with 3-22 off his three overs, and also took two catches, one of them an absolute jazzer. Phew. Chennai go top, and the two teams will reconvene on Thursday!
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Chennai win by 2 runs! Amazing!
20th over: Kolkata 132-9 (Ten Doeschate 38, Hogg 2)
19.6 Full again, slammed to cover this time.
19.5 Full, Tendo comes down, lashes four to point. Seven needed, so six for a super-over.
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19.4 Finally! Slower but shorter, Tendo finds it, mashes six over midwicket.
19.3 Slower again, straighter this time, Tendo makes room, misses.
19.2 Another slower one, outside off, and Tendo doesn’t pick it - another dot.
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19.1 Here comes Bravo, slower ball, and Tendo slaps to point - but there’s a man there, so they don’t run.
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19th over: Kolkata 118-9 (Ten Doeschate 24, Yadav 2)
18.6 Hogg cover drives, the fielder can’t quite dive into, rather than over it, and that’s it: they run two, so 17 needed from the final over. Whatever happens, this is incredible!
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18.5 WICKET! Yadav b Nehra 0 (Kolkata 116-9)
Nehra’s around the wicket, full and straight, Yadav waves the bat, misses, and it’s middle-stump.
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18.4 Nehra goes around the wicket, it’s smeared down to long-off, they run one, try another, stop, try on the overthrow, go back.
18.3 He’s onto this one, it’s length, in the slot, and zetzed over the fence for six at midwicket.
18.2 Full toss, Tendo humps to square-leg, Bravo chses, it drops at his toes at goes for four.
18.1 Nehra spears into Tendo’s body, no run.
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18th over: Kolkata 105-8 (Ten Doeschate 13, Yadav 0) Four from the over, and two wickets; what a game this is, again. Kolkata need 30 runs from 12 balls.
WICKET! Chawla c Dhoni b Bravo 0 (Kolkata 104-8)
This is some high-level dunderheidery, is this. Chawla sprints down the track, slams the ball directly above him, Dohni holds, and what a spell this is from the dancing Bravo!
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17th over: Kolkata 104-7 (Ten Doeschate 12, Chawla 0) Two and a leg-bye bring Chawla onto strike - he can hold a bat, so tries a big shot and misses. That’ll learn him.
WICKET! Cummins c Jadeja b Bravo 0 (Kolkata 101-7)
Cummins goes back in the crease, goes to cream his second ball over midwicket despite the batter at the other end. He gets naewhere near enough of it, and Jadeja has time to settle before taking the catch well in off the fence. Why?
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17th over: Kolkata 101-6 (Ten Doeschate 10, Cummins 0) Kolkata need 34 runs from 18 balls.
WICKET! Russell run out 4 (Kolkata 100-6)
Under pressure! Ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne. Tendo pulls, they run, Russell insists on another after jogging through, Tendo says er later, he turns, Jadeja’s throw is good, Dhoni sweeps it in. What a game this now is!
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16th over: Kolkata 100-5 (Ten Doeschate 9, Russell 4) Nehra back and a single to begin, Tendo turning to midwicket. Russell earns one to long-on, and then another each, and then and then and then and then.
15th over: Kolkata 95-5 (Ten Doeschate 7, Russell 2) So, what does Andre Russell have? He takes a single first ball and Tendo does likewise, then both do the same. As with the Chennai innings, you wonder if there’s going to be any acceleration - I suppose if they continue with the current plan, they’ll be in it with two to go. Kolkata need 40 runs from 24 balls.
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WICKET! Pathan b Bravo 13 (Kolkata 91-5)
They’re actually going to ruin this! Bravo’s short with a slower one, Pathan goes to pull, misses, drags onto the stumps with an inside-edge. With Ashwin about to come back, Kolkata are struggling.
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15th over: Kolkata 91-4 (Pathan 13, Ten Doeschate 5) It’s Bravo into the attack, Dhoni’s new specialist death bowler, replacing Raina before the batsmen decide he needs getting got.
14th over: Kolkata 90-4 (Pathan 13, Ten Doeschate 4) Sharma continues, and Pathan takes a single to third man. Then then try taking another to McCullum at point - he shies, hits the one stump he can see, but Tendo, diving, was back. Kolkata are just keeping the scoreboard moving for now, which is going to leave them needing multiple boundaries later on, when they already need at least one now. Gosh, this is tense all of a sudden. Kolkata need 45 runs from 30 balls.
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14th over: Kolkata 84-4 (Pathan 9, Ten Doeschate 2) Kolkata are struggling to get the ball off the square here, so Ten Doeschate whips one to short midwicket - McCullum is on the scene, but somehow dives past it and takes a rap in the torso. That might be a big drop. Next ball yields a single, then a wide, and then a single - nicely pushed to long-on by Pathan. Kolkata need 51 runs from 36 balls.
13th over: Kolkata 80-4 (Pathan 7, Ten Doeschate 1) Kolkata need to have a look at the board - this should still be a comfortable win, despite the shouting in the ground and buzz in the field. Talking of which, there’s McCullum, flying to his left at point, to save more runs - this is an electric performance from him.
WICKET! Yadav c Bravo b Mohit Sharma 16 (Kolkata 76-4)
And Yadav tries, hooking at a quick, bouncy one and top-edging. It goes high, but even so, Bravo’s catch, running in from long-on to insert one hand underneath it just above the ground and on the dive, is amazing - especially given the danger of a collision with Faf, also in the hunt. Bravo is excited.
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13th over: Kolkata 76-3 (Yadav 16, Pathan 5) Mohit returns - this could be the game here, if the batsmen get after him.
12th over: Kolkata 76-3 (Yadav 16, Pathan 5) Raina continues, and Yadav slams into the covers - where Ashwin dives and takes a crack on the spinning finger as they run two. He departs the field, but doesn’t look too concerned. Five from the over, and it’s that time again: Chennai need another wicket.
11th over: Kolkata 71-3 (Yadav 12, Pathan 4) It’s times like this where experience is handy - how to manipulate the ball around the field, the ability to compose and spot the bad ones amidst the general slowness that’s hard to get away. One from the over, and the rate is now above seven.
10th over: Kolkata 70-3 (Yadav 11, Pathan 4) Raina into the attack, bowling slowly and tossing them up - Yadav misses out on a full-toss, which indicates pressure now being felt. Gosh, and he foxes Pathan following a single, wandering across to the off-side and belatedly attempting a run into Dhoni’s gloves. Good over; few more of these, and Kolkata will start to wonder.
9th over: Kolkata 67-3 (Yadav 9, Pathan 3) Jadeja races through this over, just three singles from it, which is just as well, as I’ve got my mind on my tyres and my tyres on my mind.
8th over: Kolkata 64-3 (Yadav 7, Pathan 2) Both these batters have talent and power, but do they have the composure and nous to sort this? Yadav lifts one over point for one, and Pathan sweeps two to square-leg.
WICKET! Pandey c Bravo b Ashwin 15 (Kolkata 61-3)
Oh this is silly behaviours! A run-rate below six, and an out-of-nick batsman tries to get all of them in one hit. He doesn’t, presenting the ball to deep midwicket. Silly boy.
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7th over: Kolkata 61-2 (Pandey 15, Yadav 6) Spin from both ends now, Jadeja beginning, and the pitch doesn’t look as belting as ten minutes ago. It’s pretty dry, apparently, so important to get runs against the new ball - and there’re four of them, Yadav edging, Raina slow to get down, and off it scurries to third man.
6th over: Kolkata 54-2 (Pandey 13, Yadav 1) Suddenly, the atmosphere has changed, and the ground is alive. Yadav takes a single, and there follow three dots and a further single. Can Chennai find another wicket?
WICKET! Uthappa c McCullum b Ashwin 39 (Kolkata 52-2)
As I said. Ashwin’s first ball, so Uthappa climbs in to a short one, spanking to midwicket, where McCullum braces to hold onto a stormer. He is a badass; there’s not other word for it.
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5th over: Kolkata 52-1 (Uthappa 39, Pandey 12) Uthappa is just ridiculously slick at the moment, ruining a decent start to Nehra’s over by whipping his bat through a gentle lift over mid-off - it’s a one-bounce four. And to rub it all in, following a single, Pandey decides he’d better participate, edging between stationary keeper and slip for fo mo. I humbly supplicate that this be over.
4th over: Kolkata 42-1 (Uthappa 34, Pandey 7) On comes Mohit Sharma - I wonder, might Dhoni have gambled on spin even at this early stage, given the need for wickets. And his first ball is short and slow, accordingly paggad to the fence at midwicket. And his second is short and slow, accordingly, paggad to the fence at deep-backward-square. Chennai are in a situation. And his third ball is short and slow, accordingly flip-scooped (upside down) to the fence at long leg. My days, McCullum is a bad man - after a single to Uthappa, Pandey punishes a wide one that smokes off the square, only for a flying stop to prevent the boundary. The required run-rate is 5.81.
3rd over: Kolkata 28-1 (Uthappa 21, Pandey 6) Oooh hoo hoo, it’s Pandey to Pandey! Pandey takes a single from Pandey, which allows Uthappa to hoist six over midwicket - he was onto that so quickly and gracefully. And there’s four more, a floaty seam-upper clipped over the infield in the same region. Pandey, under pressure, responds with a wide, then pulls away in the delivery stride and returns to find the block-hole; better.
2nd over: Kolkata 15-1 (Uthappa 10, Pandey 5) It’s to be Ashish Nehra from the other end, and his left-arm attack might be tricky for Kolkata to score from. But as long as they don’t get out, they’ll not mind that too much - any kind of sensible batting, and they win, given a run-rate of below seven. And it looks like Uthappa has sorted four of them playing down through point, but McCullum - who, in the first over, hit the stumps attempting a run out with a tennis shot - catches up with it to save one on the fence. Uthappa, though, isn’t to be denied - with the ball coming onto the bat, he’s not for hanging about, clubbing four high to square-leg after Pandey nabs a single.
1st over: Kolkata 5-1 (Uthappa 1, Pandey 4) Pandey is right on top of another wide one, meeting it at the top of the bounce and playing it down superbly through the covers and away to the fence.
WICKET! Gambhir c Dhoni b Pandey 1 (Kolkata 1-1)
I say! Pandey, surprisingly given the new ball, gives Gambhir width first up. He reaches without moving his feet to run down to third man, and like Raina, feathers behind instead. We’ve got ourselves a ball-game!
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Right, back we are, as Yoda might say - and Chennai need early wickets desperately.
Chennai set Kolkata 135 to win.
What an excellent performance by their bowlers, fielders and captain; Chennai were curiously supine once things started to go wrong.
20th over: Chennai 134-6 (Du Plessis 29, Ashwin 9) In comes Yadav, and Du Plessis has a fat swing at a shorter one, taking it in the sternum. It hurts, so he admires his abs - his abz - to feel better. Dot. Then another, Faf trying to lift over his head, but missing, then a wide yorker from which they muster one. And oh! What’s this? A boundary? No! Yes! Ashwin turns to square-leg, a misfield forces Russell to charge after it, he catches up, flicks away from the fence, but his studs were in contact with a different part of it. And then four more, Ashwin flicking to fine-leg, before hammering the last ball to the man at cover - that’s one.
19th over: Chennai 124-6 (Du Plessis 28, Ashwin 0) So, what can Chennai manage from the final over? They’ll want 15, the way things are going, they’ll do well to get more than six.
WICKET! Jadeja b Hogg 15 (Chennai 124-6)
What a clever, ballsy spell this has been! Hogg flights one a bit quicker as Jadeja advances, Jadeja looks at it like it’s a cryptic crossword clue disguised as a furry lawnmower, misses, and gone.
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19th over: Chennai 124-5 (Du Plessis 28, Jadeja 15) Hogg to bowl out, and he’s forcing the batsmen to generate all the pace themselves. After two singles, Du Plessis makes room for a huge hoik, misses, and is nearly stumped.
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18th over: Chennai 121-5 (Du Plessis 26, Jadeja 14) Chennai have yet to manage an enormover, and barely look like they’re trying. But they should be, because if Gambhir and Uthappa get going, they’ll have a problem, however much they back their spinners. Cummins is back for his last over, four singles and two wides from it; Chennai have five wickets in hand, why have they not thrown the bat?
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17th over: Chennai 115-5 (Du Plessis 24, Jadeja 12) Hogg is back, as yet, still unreferred to as the Hogster. His first ball is loose, and Jadeja bangs to midwicket, but finds the man - they run one. Then, Du Plessis flicks to the same area, bisecting two converging fieldsmen - that was perfection. Jadeja is looking to hit Hogg with the turn, over the leg-side, but isn’t looking to get underneath him yet. Nine off the over - barring amazing exploits, Kolkata are big favourites to win from here.
16th over: Chennai 106-5 (Du Plessis 18, Jadeja 9) Du Plessis brings up Chennai’s hundred with two turned away to square-leg, and Russell, who’s bowled very well, then chucks in another wide. He then ups his pace, though, 142 first - Du Plessis tries a pull, edges, and they run one - then knucks Jadeja in the coupon at 145.
No ground is complete without one apparently.. pic.twitter.com/xVpIQJQZur
— mark butcher (@markbutcher72) April 28, 2015
15th over: Chennai 99-5 (Du Plessis 15, Jadeja 6) Chawla has bowled really well today, and keeps it tight as the batsmen look to get things moving. But, after two singles, Du Plessis has two chances to find the fence, first when given width and then with a short one, but both times, he picks out a fielder.
14th over: Chennai 92-5 (Du Plessis 11, Jadeja 3) Cummins returns to attack Jadeja, who’s not into his kind of pace - there’s a slip in, too. Chennai need another 70 to consider themselves competitive, and for the now, don’t look like achieving it. Four from the over, and it’s time to talk tyres!
WICKET! Bravo c SA Yadav b Chawla 5 (Chennai 88-5)
Trouble for Chennai now. Bravo comes down the track to heave over the bowler’s head, but the bat turns in his hands through the shot, restricting the power and picking out long-off.
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13th over: Chennai 88-4 (Du Plessis 10, Bravo 5) Whatever happens from here, Gambhir’s decision to bowl looks fine - Kolkata won’t be chasing a monster.
12th over: Chennai 85-4 (Du Plessis 8, Bravo 4) Chennai are in a situation here: do they take what they can, then go for it in the last five, or do they keep at it and risk losing further wickets? Bravo gives his opinion, off the mark with a welt over cover.
WICKET! Dhoni c Uthappa b Russell 3 (Chennai 81-4)
Huge moment in the game. Russell tempts Dhoni with a bouncer, who tries to flick it away - but it’s cramped him and bounced properly, so that he gloves to the keeper.
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11th over: Chennai 79-3 (Du Plessis 7, Dhoni 2) Chawla returns and a Ten Doeschate misfield allows two from his first ball. In commentary, they’re nauseated on Hogg’s behalf, saying he should still be on, but perhaps they’re keeping him for the “death”. Six from the over, and suddenly, bit of pressure on Chennai.
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10th over: Chennai 73-3 (Du Plessis 3, Dhoni 0) Out comes the dhiviniti, to a-whoopin’ an’ a-hollerin’. First ball, he takes a leg-bye, then arrives a wide, then a single to Faf, then a so very wide that allows them to run two too. Somehow, that’s eight off the over - only one off the bat.
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WICKET! Raina c Uthappa b Russell 17 (Chennai 67-3)
Not great from Raina, this. Aware that scoring has been restricted of late, he wafts away from his body looking to play a run down. But he doesn’t get enough of it, and guides the ball into the keeper’s gloves.
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9th over: Chennai 65-2 (Raina 17, Du Plessis 1) There’s some nice turn and bounce for the spinners here, and as such, it’s looking much better for Kolkata.
WICKET Smith run out 25 (Chennai 64-2)
Smith is nowhere near making his ground - Pathan at 45, snatches on the run, and throws down the stumps. No idea why Raina wasn’t sent back, but.
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9th over: Chennai 64-1 (Smith 25, Raina 17) Lovely bowling from Hogg again, three singles, and then one that really turned, gripped and bounced that Raina edged behind...
8th over: Chennai 61-1 (Smith 23, Raina 16) Andre Russell replaces Yadav, slamting his first ball across Raina. He plays it down into the off-side, and they run - Gambhir is onto it, but fumbles, and the chance dissipates. Then, another single to the becalmed Smith, three dots, and a gorgeous cover-drive from Raina to end trhe over with a four. It’s time for a time-out tactical.
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7th over: Chennai 55-1 (Smith 22, Raina 11) It’s time for the oldest player in IPL history, Brad Hogg, he of the 44 years. And he starts well, after Smith takes a single from his first ball, flighting them into Raina dead slow, who snap-nurdles one from the final delivery, but can muster nowt else.
6th over: Chennai 53-1 (Smith 21, Raina 10) Yadav continues, and Smith mistimes a single to square-leg. Then, he permits Raina some width, and a shoulder-high square cut for four reminds him of the effrontery of this strategy. If Chennai maintain this scoring rate for another five overs, Kolkata will be chasing a monster.
5th over: Chennai 48-1 (Smith 20, Raina 6) Raina will appreciate the spin - I wonder if Gambhir will chance some pace next over - and eases off the mark with a second-ball six, spanked over deep-backward-square.
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WICKET! McCullum lbw b Chawla 19 (Chennai 42-1)
This is very well bowled - Chawla maintains equilibrium and gives a wrongun some air. McCullum doens’t pick it, plays around the pad, and that looks plumb.
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5th over: Chennai 42-0 (Smith 20, McCullum 19) Gambhir tries taking pace off the ball, introducing Chawla. McCullum permits himself a sighter, then takes a double-skip, stretches, and panels a wide one over the bowler’s heid for a two-bounce four.
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4th over: Chennai 38-0 (Smith 20, McCullum 15) Just read something about “Ed Miliband’s spinners” - next, “Nigel Farage’s dibbly-dobblers”. Yadav, though, is anything but, mixing it up at terrific pace. He opens this over with a wide, though, before three dots - and then Smith top-edges six to that same bit of fence by Pathan, though he had no chance of getting that. Then, the pace is used to send a straight one hurtling to long-leg, and then another edge - it doesn’t carry, but speeds on by. Kolkata badly need a wicket, to, er, get Raina in.
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3rd over: Chennai 23-0 (Smith 6, McCullum 15) Cummins is building pressure, bowling a tight line, close to McCullum’s body, very fast indeed. So McCullum dances to leg, jockeys down the track, and clubs six into the sightscreen. I bet he’s amazing at extracting the last dregs from the toothpaste. Anyway, he’s busy with batting for the now - a leg-bye and a single get him the strike, and then he clips a sharp yorker to the square-leg fence with amazing ease.
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2nd over: Chennai 11-0 (Smith 5, McCullum 5) McCullum don’t waste no time, flashing at Yadav’s loosener to send it flying over the slips - on the third man boundary, Yusuf is slow to attempt a catch, and is close by when it drops at his feet. Then, after a leg-bye and a single, McCullum advances and swings, edging into the dust and behind, then rams one to mid-on. Both teams will consider this a satisfactory start - Kolkata’s men are charging in, and Chennai are repelling them.
1st over: Chennai 4-0 (Smith 4, McCullum 0) Smith starts with a leave; I told you this league is impossible to predict. Then, after a forward-defensive, he waves the bat hard at an outswinger - looks like it might go to wide slip, but the chunky outside-edge sends it flying over the top for four. Cummins, though responds with a jaffa, just back of a length, seaming away, and almost past Smith before he decides to play.
Cummins to open...
Warne is even more disbelieving of Gambhir’s decision to bowl on seeing the pitch - “looks like a road”, he says.
There’s a fair old pitch in the ground, as McCullum and Smith come out. Not sure I dig the primrose yellow garms, but.
Chennai’s huddle is more of a group hug. Either is silly.
Great news! Mark Butcher is still on holiday!
Dearie me, the state of Chennai’s batting line-up: Smith, McCullum, Raina, Dhoni, Jadeja, Du Plessis, Bravo. Bravo!
While we wait: on this day, 1996, popular culture - in the UK - looked exactly, and only, like this.
Warne is surprised that Kolkata didn’t bat, citing the heat.
Gautam Gambhir calls correctly, and Kolkata will bowl - of course, MS Dhoni, of course, would’ve batted, of course.
Chennai are unchanged, again; Kolkata leave out Narine, Morkel and Botha, bringing in Cummins, Hogg and Ten Doeschate.Presumably Narine is considered too much of a risk, and Morkel is injured.
Anyway, it’s over to Ravi Shastri, the illest hypeman in the Tamil Nadu area, for the toss.
But let’s have a go. It’s not especially hard to see either of these teams qualifying for the play-off - both, most importantly of all, clearly know what they’re doing, and it’s for that reason, more than any particular players, that have them second and third in the table. If we’re going to distinguish between them, I guess we could posit that Chennai as explosive and Kolkata as measured, but really, both are everything. I’d lean towards Chennai for that reason.
Preamble
Some incredible cricketers are going to perform some incredible cricket for our pleasure. Beyond that, it’s impossible to know, or even to pretend to know.
