Right, I’ve got another match to do. RCB should probably have won that, but threw away their wickets at crucial junctures. Cheers for reading. Bye.
Wicket! Abdulla c Negi b Bravo 0; RCB 124, CSK win by 24 runs
Wiese goes first ball and Chahal comes out with 25 needed. Six wickets have gone down for 25 runs now. Make that seven as, after two airy swishes at nothing outside off, Abdulla fends to Negi at backward point.
Wicket! Wiese c Negi b Bravo 17
Another slow bouncer and Wiese hooks to Negi at deep backward square. I was going to go ball-by-ball, but as that was the first of the over I won’t bother.
19th over: RCB 124-8 (Wiese 17, Abdulla 0) target 149 Wiese rocks back to Mohit Sharma’s first ball and cuts it hard behind point for four. A second-ball single though brings Starc on strike, which isn’t really what they needed. One more down the ground to him, but Wiese can only get the fourth away for a single. Starc swings and misses once again. He’s on a hiding to nothing last ball and gets out.
@DanLucas86 Harper's was a direct hit. May be Dujon's movement and the grainy footage give the illusion it wasn't? http://t.co/OdTIVVS3kL
— Nagarjun Kandukuru (@knagarjun) May 4, 2015
Ah yep it was the footage. I also only had half an eye on the video.
Wicket! Starc c Raina b M Sharma 1
A big, high hit and it’s taken easily at long-on.
18th over: RCB 117-7 (Wiese 11, Starc 0) target 149 32 needed off of three overs isn’t impossible, but it’s not going to happen. Probably. Wiese reads a slow, short cutter and clumps it through mid-wicket for four. Starc is looking to slog it, but the bounce is getting less and less reliable as twice in a row Starc swings his bat over the dying ball. That’s four dot balls to finish the over.
17th over: RCB 112-7 (Wiese 6, Starc 0) target 149 The required run-rate is up above 10 now. Nehra is aggrieved to be wided as Wiese goes a long way across to off, looking to ramp it and the bowler follows him. Looks a harsh call to me. Anyway, a few forgettable singles before Sarfaraz answers “no I cannot do something special here, sorry Dan.” Harshal Patel comes and goes without scoring, although he was nowhere near it.
Wicket! H Patel c Dhoni b Nehra
A slower ball outside off, Patel plays down the wrong line and there is a noise. I don’t think it’s bat on ball, mind, but the umpire disagrees.
Wicket! Sarfaraz c Smith b Nehra 8
Sarfaraz steps across to off and looks to flick it over fine-leg, but there’s not enough on it to clear the fielder.
16th over: RCB 109-5 (Wiese 4, Sarfaraz 8) target 149 Can the 17-year-old Sarfaraz do something special here? He gets his first boundary with a nicely chipped cut, of sorts, to lift a full, wide ball over backward point for four. Wiese then punches one just back past the bowler’s fingertips for a single. They’ve lived dangerously have RCB.
@DanLucas86 Bravo's run out was remarkably similar to Roger Harper's effort in the Lord's bicentenary game of '88. https://t.co/iTW2wsnhb5
— Nagarjun Kandukuru (@knagarjun) May 4, 2015
Similar, although this one was a direct hit.
15th over: RCB 100-5 (Wiese 2, Sarfaraz 1) target 149 A wicket with the first ball of Nehra’s comeback over means that, for the second time today, RCB lose two in two balls. They’ve also only managed three runs from this over and CSK smell blood.
Wicket! Karthik c Smith b Nehra 23
Game over? This is pretty dumb batting from Karthik, who simply lifts it down the throat of Smith at deep mid-wicket.
Updated
14th over: RCB 97-4 (Karthik 23, Sarfaraz 0) target 149 With 56 needed from 42 balls, Dwayne Bravo, the joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition this season, comes on for a bowl. As Kohli goes through for a single, his bat jams in the ground and his knee collides with it. Looks like he’s a bit sore after that. An LBW shout against Karthik, but it’s hit him on the thigh and is going down leg, but other than that etc. Four singles are followed by a shovel into the leg-side by Kohli for two, but then Bravo enacts the run-out.
Wicket! Kohli run out 48
This is brilliant fielding. Kohli came forward and blocked it back down the pitch, but Bravo jumped and fielded it above his head then, in one movement, threw down the stumps at the strikers end with the batsman scrambling in vain to make his ground.
13th over: RCB 93-3 (Karthik 23, Kohli 45) target 149 The required run-rate is still under eight as Mohit comes back on for his third over. Dhoni comes up to the stumps, allowing the bowler to take the pace off the ball and bowl his cutters, which has been the most effective tactic so far on this pitch. Seven from the over.
12th over: RCB 86-3 (Karthik 22, Kohli 39) target 149 Make that a third life as Kohli top-edges a slog-sweep that drifts inches over Bravo on the mid-on boundary for as unconvincing a six as you’ll see. Then he toe-ends one down to long-off, where du Plessis runs round and dives forward to almost take a quite brilliant catch. He gets his fingertips to it, so I guess it counts as a drop, but that’s a fantastic effort. Kohli looks scratchier than a man with an allergy to air. A hard-run two brings up the 50 partnership.
11th over: RCB 73-3 (Karthik 21, Kohli 26) target 149 The spinners have gone for 15 in their two overs so far – it’s really more of a seamer’s pitch, this one. That said, Kohli gets a couple of lives here: the first is when he misses out trying to cut one that’s too close to his body, the second when he smashes one straight back at Jadeja and the bowler puts it down! That was hit hard, but it’s a poor drop.
10th over: RCB 71-3 (Karthik 21, Kohli 25) target 149 It’s left-arm spin from both ends, in fact, with Negi into the attack. Another fine piece of fielding, from Mohi Sharma this time on the edge of the circle, saves yet more runs. A full, flat delivery is swept very nicely behind square-leg for four more by Karthik.
Apparently 77% of voters have decided that CSK are the greatest fiedling side ever to take to a cricket pitch. Did you vote yes in that? You’re an idiot.
9th over: RCB 65-3 (Karthik 16, Kohli 24) target 149 Spin now, from Jadeja. Kohli smears a slightly full one nicely through cover for four, his wrists moving so quickly. Good running brings a couple more to the same region. That over, incidentally, was bookended by a pair of singles.
8th over: RCB 56-3 (Karthik 15, Kohli 16) target 149 Kohli pushes to mid-on for a single that brings up the RCB 50. There’s nearly a run-out a few balls later though as McCullum pulls off an outstanding diving stop at short extra cover. A deft dab down to third man for four more to Karthik and that’s seven from the over. It’s a close-run thing, this.
7th over: RCB 49-3 (Karthik 10, Kohli 14) target 149 Pandey, with 2-21 from his first three overs, will get a fourth and he comes close to picking up his third wicket as Kohli mistimes a drive just wide of the bowler’s outstretched hand. Singles from the first three balls – Kohli isn’t timing it out there – then a dot as Raina makes a good stop at short mid-wicket. The fielding from CSK really has been excellent. Nothing that Smith can do for the final ball though, as Karthik nails a pull through square-leg.
6th over: RCB 42-3 (Karthik 5, Kohli 12) target 149 The loss of two wickets for no runs is, obviously, quite the blow. Of the big three in the RCB batting lineup, one has been pointlessly dropped, a second limply taken out and now the star of their run-chase in the last match is run out without facing. Mohit Sharma, anyway, is into the attack and Kohli gets a couple, timed nicely out to mid-wicket where it’s eventually stopped by the scrambling sweeper. Karthik gets the streakiest of boundaries, off the inside-edge down to fine-leg, to end the over.
Wicket! Mandeep run out 0
Kohli pushes for a quick single that’s never on. The throw comes in from mid-wicket and Dhoni whips the bails off in lightning quick time.
5th over: RCB 34-2 (Mandeep 0, Kohli 9) target 149 This is how you deal with a low full-toss: AB goes way back in his crease and times it through mid-on for his fourth four. Then a lovely dab down past the man at a wide-ish first slip, down to third man for his fifth. That’s all he’ll get though, as he too falls to a rubbish ball. This isn’t a good match.
Wicket! de Villiers c du Plessis b Pandey 21
This is rubbish. Another low full-toss, just outside off and he slaps it to his compatriot at mid-off.
4th over: RCB 25-1 (de Villiers 13, Kohli 8) target 149 Another over for Nehra and he’s certainly finding more swing than Starc did earlier. It’s fine stuff for the most part and when it’s not, and he drops too short, it’s lucky as AB hammers a pull straight to the fielder at mid-on. Nehra then has to duck in order to prevent his head from going all Oberyn Martell, as de Villiers gets to the pitch of it and cracks an absolute rocket back past him for four.
Warning: this is a bit graphic.
3rd over: RCB 18-1 (de Villiers 8, Kohli 6) target 149 Might be a good move this, actually, giving Maddinson license to attack while keeping him out of the Nehra firing line. Mind you, Pandey looks decent, even though it’s not much of a ball that’s needed to get rid of Maddinson. Quite what they were thinking, bringing him in for the mighty Gayle, I have no idea. That ball was there to be spanked, not to take a wicket. The same can be said of the second delivery to AB: it’s short and wide and gets cut up and over backward point for four. Down the wicket two balls later and de Villiers fetches the slower one from outside off and flips it over mid-wicket for another boundary.
Wicket! Maddinson b Pandey 4
Well this was always going to happen. Maddinson runs straight past a low full-toss that rearranges his timber.
2nd over: RCB 10-0 (Maddinson 4, Kohli 6) target 149 From the other end it’s Ashish Nehra, bowling to his fellow son of Delhi, Kohli. He’s finding a wee bit of swing back into the right-hander and the batsman nudges his third ball through mid-wicket for a couple. The next one is full, outside off and doesn’t swing, and Kohli absolutely nails an expansive cover-drive away for four.
1st over: RCB 4-0 (Maddinson 4, Kohli 0) target 149 Nic Maddinson takes strike first and he’s struck on the pad, above the knee-roll, by Pandey, very first ball. Given not-out on height, rightly so. The Aussie has a big heave at the next and connects with just fresh air. Pandey strays down the leg-side and it’s turned round the corner, past short fine-leg for four. Another dance down the track, another massive swing and another miss. I don’t like this guy’s technique one bit. He defends the fifth ball, then has another big swing at the last. Once again, he misses it and this time gets hit in the ribs. That’ll learn ‘im.
That’s probably not enough. The absence of Gayle means this won’t be easy, but RCB probably have enough firepower to win this one.
End of innings
20th over: CSK 148-9 (Nehra 0) Whaddya know, it is Starc with the final over. Negi backs away and spanks him to cover, but it’s not a clean hit and they just get one. Starc wears the return throw from his captain on his fingertips though and it looks like that stung a bit. After a dot, Bravo goes miles across to off, exposing all three stumps, but manages to knock it through square-leg for a couple. That’s all though and this innings, which has only occasionally threatened to flicker into life, is dying a damp squib of a death. A wide, then a lovely yorker to get rid of Negi. Ashish Nehra walks out to face one ball and that one ball brings a run-out.
Wicket! M Sharma run out 0
They look for a bye from the last ball, Karthik has the glove off and throws down the stumps.
Wicket! Negi b Starc 13
Full, straight and reversing into the base of middle-stump as the batsman backs away.
Wicket! Bravo c Wiese b Starc 2
The roles of the Dhoni wicket are reversed as Bravo drives a full-toss straight to cover, where Wiese takes a good diving catch to his left.
19th over: CSK 144-6 (Negi 12, Bravo 0) It’ll be Wiese with the penultimate over then, presumably Starc with the last. A second wicket for Wiese as Dhoni looks to go after him and they’ve both been big ones – MS and McCullum. Bravo is the new man but, as the batsmen crossed, he watches from the non-striker’s end as Negi hammers a hook out on the bounce to mid-wicket for four.
Wicket! Dhoni c Starc b Wiese 29
The big wicket. Wiese puts it in the slot, Dhoni’s eyes light up, but he can only pick out Starc at long-off.
18th over: CSK 137-5 (Negi 7, Dhoni 27) Jadeja goes after the leg-spinner but it’s the bowler who prevails. “Oh well, I’ll do it myself,” thinks Dhoni and he flat-bats a remarkable slog-sweep over long-on for six. He barely hit that! Three sixes, then Negi comes down the pitch and smashes a huge, high, straight six. Well a great start to that over for RCB and a rather sourer end.
Wicket! Jadeja c Kohli b Chahal 3
Goes big, over mid-wicket, but he hasn’t got enough on it and Kohli jogs round to take the catch a couple of yards in from the rope.
17th over: CSK 122-4 (Jadeja 3, Dhoni 19) After a nice long rest, Starc returns. An inside edge for a single brings Dhoni on strike – you get the feeling this is going to be a key battle. Round one is a dot, then a slower ball that’s cut behind point for one. Dhoni gets the strike back and looks to slog a full-toss down the ground, but it comes off the splice of the bat, loops up and lands safely at mid-off. They run a couple, then Dhoni clubs down the ground and beats the despairing dive of de Villiers to the rope.
16th over: CSK 113-4 (Jadeja 1, Dhoni 12) It’s all on Dhoni now to make the total competitive. Abdulla comes back into the attack and Dhoni goes down the track and smashes him for a straight, flat six. 150 I reckon is the bare minimum that CSK need. Four more to Dhoni as he has a swish and feathers and edge past the keeper and down to third man.
Apparently Mandeep Singh dislocated his finger earlier.
15th over: CSK 101-4 (Jadeja 0, Dhoni 1) A wicket from the first ball brings MS Dhoni to the crease. He gets off the mark with a single from his third ball. A full-toss to Raina outside off and he drives to point, but it’s very well stopped by the sliding fielder, saving a couple. The wicket falls to the final ball.
Wicket! Raina lbw b H Patel 52
Round the wicket, angled in to the left-hander and he gets pinned on the back-pad. Looked a touch high to me, but he was a long way back and up goes the finger.
Wicket! du Plessis b H Patel 24
The slower one, outside off does for Faf as he bottom-edges a thrash down into his stumps. There wasn’t really enough room for the shot. It was moving back in a touch too.
14th over: CSK 98-2 (Raina 50, du Plessis 24) Back into the attack comes David Wiese, with 1-13 from his two overs so far, that one being the important one of McCullum. Once again Raina looks to go after it, backing away and looking to hit straight, but Wiese follows him well and it’s just a single to long-on. Better next though, as he goes down and scoops to fine-leg for four, falling flat on his arse as he does so. Raina then eases one softly into the covers for one more to bring up his 50.
13th over: CSK 89-2 (Raina 44, du Plessis 21) Finally, Raina goes for the big hit and just about clears the man on the mid-on boundary for six. The batsmen exchange singles before Raina drives straight, over the top and down the ground, but Kohli runs around quickly to keep them to one. 10 from the over.
12th over: CSK 79-2 (Raina 36, du Plessis 19) Here’s something a bit new: Kohli brings himself on... and immediately hurts his knee making a diving stop off his own bowling. The physio comes on and seems to have worked his magic. He still conceded two runs from that ball. Three singles, then Raina’s straight drive takes out middle-stump at the non-striker’s end.
11th over: CSK 73-2 (Raina 34, du Plessis 15) Spin again, but it’ll be Chahal’s leg-breaks once more. This isn’t quite the thriller we’d hoped for, but this track is going to slow down and get harder to score on, so 160 could well prove a winning total yet. Raina goes for a wander and slogs, but it’s a poor shot off the top half of the bat and it goes out to cow corner for two.
10th over: CSK 68-2 (Raina 31, du Plessis 13) That should probably be the end of the Abdulla experiment – he got away with some pretty poor bowling in his first over and got rightly smacked about in his second. The seam of Harshal Patel looks a much better option, the variety of his pace proving hard to get away. Five from the over, including a couple of wides.
9th over: CSK 63-2 (Raina 30, du Plessis 11) Faf du Plessis is tired of hanging around and slog-sweeps Abdulla a long way back into the empty stand beyond the mid-wicket boundary. After a single, Raina goes down on one knee and clubs a half-volley over extra-cover for four, then smacks the next one straight back down the ground for four more.
8th over: CSK 48-2 (Raina 22, du Plessis 4) It looks like these two are looking to rebuild the innings. Harshal is back into the attack, bowling round the wicket from very wide on the crease, almost to the point that it’s a no-ball on width. It’s effective, mind you, as he sends down three straight dots to Raina, tucking the left-hander up. A wide next, down the leg-side, which is harsh given that the ball has hit something. In fact I think that’s the bottom of the bat. Raina is a lucky boy. A good diving stop at point by Mandeep Singh from the final ball saves a couple of runs, but it’s hurt his hand.
7th over: CSK 44-2 (Raina 20, du Plessis 3) We’re going to have a bit of left-arm spin now, Iqbal Abdulla into the attack. He starts with a full-toss, but Raina can just slap it down to long-on for one. This is pretty inauspicious stuff – unthreatening, probably a bit too full and there’s a wide tossed in there too – but they can only get six singles from it.
6th over: CSK 37-2 (Raina 17, du Plessis 0) Raina looks to give Wiese the charge and bottom-edges a short ball down to wide leg-slip. The batsmen run through for a single, then McCullum goes back, opens the face and runs the ball very neatly down to fine third man for four. That’s the end of his fun though and the wicket falls to a slower ball – the batsman just misreading the pace. Eight runs from the over and we’ll have some adverts for the next two and a half minutes.
Wicket! McCullum c Abdulla b Wiese 20
A short ball is always going to tempt McCullum and he goes after this one, but mistimes his hook and sends it straight down the throat of the man at deep square-leg.
5th over: CSK 29-1 (Raina 13, McCullum 16) I’d have been tempted to give Starc another over, but Virat Kohli is inclined to disagree and brings Harshal Patel into the attack. His first ball is full, wide and timed beautifully through extra-cover for four. Two dots and three singles complete the over.
4th over: CSK 22-1 (Raina 7, McCullum 15) David Wiese is on now and begins with a half-volley on middle, which Raina lifts over mid-on for a one-bounce four. He runs the fourth ball down to backward-point for a single. That brings McCullum on strike, so Karthik comes up to the stumps, looking to keep the batsman back in his crease. B-Mac sees out the over.
@DanLucas86 Starc scares me for the Ashes. Though perhaps Moores currently scares me more...
— Ravi Nair (@palfreyman1414) May 4, 2015
I’m not convinced either of them is right for Test cricket. In limited-overs cricket though, there’s no one better than Starc right now.
3rd over: CSK 17-1 (Raina 2, McCullum 15) It’ll be Starc again and, after Raina nudges to fine-leg for a single, he gets his first go at McCullum. After seeing off a couple, the batsman backs away to leg and looks to go over extra cover again; he doesn’t quite get hold of a full one, but hits it hard enough to get a couple. The next one is fuller and timed perfectly through mid-on for four, across a lightning quick outfield. Shorter next and cut nicely behind point for four more.
2nd over: CSK 6-1 (Raina 1, McCullum 5) Beat that first over, Yuzvendra Chahal. That was the first ever first-over wicket-maiden in IPL history, I believe. Chahal’s first ball is pushed to mid-off by McCullum for a single and his second to mid-on by Raina for the same. Good, full stuff this, from the leggie, who took three wickets the last time these teams met. Then, after a couple of dots, he gives McCullum one a bit too wide outside off, which the batsman cracks up and over extra cover for four.
1st over: CSK 0-1 (Raina 0, McCullum 0) Starc got the better of McCullum in the World Cup final, but they’ll have to wait to resume hostilities as Dwayne Smith gets the first strike. A swing and a miss is followed by a leave, wide outside off. Another play and miss, the bowler getting good carry from a full length, then another. And another! Five dots in a row now from Starc and a wicket from the final ball makes it a wicket-maiden.
Wicket! Smith b Starc 0
Ooh what a ball. A yorker that just swung back in a fraction to the right-hander and sent his off-stump somewhere in the direction of Delhi.
Here we go...
So, er, no Gayle. The first reaction is booooo! The second is one of puzzlement, as surely you want the best batsman in IPL history to face the strongest team. I guess we get Starc v McCullum round three, with the latter looking for revenge for the World Cup final, so that’s something.
Your teams in full
Chennai Super Kings: BB McCullum, DR Smith, SK Raina, F du Plessis, DJ Bravo, RA Jadeja, MS Dhoni*†, P Negi, MM Sharma, A Nehra,IC Pandey
RCB: V Kohli*, NJ Maddinson, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, D Wiese, KD Karthik†, SN Khan, HV Patel, MA Starc, YS Chahal, Iqbal Abdulla
Toss and team news
Advantage Dhoni. He wins the toss and elects to bat on a hard, quick pitch. Kohli says he would have batted first too.
For CSK, Ashwin is still out injured, but the big news is that Chris Gayle is rested.
Preamble
Morning folks. Look, I’ll level with you: this is, to sort of answer Jack Nicholson’s question, about as good as it gets. This is the zenith of the IPL, the table-toppers against the form team. It’s the great MS Dhoni v the pretender to the throne, Virat Kohli. It’s AB de Villiers v Suresh Raina. It’s Chris Gayle v Brendon McCullum for crying out loud!
The Super Kings may be top, but they’ve lost two on the bounce. They’re under pressure for their place in the top two, not least from their neighbour-state rivals and the IPL’s form team (three wins in a row), who pleasing just happen to be their visitors today.
Seriously, I don’t know what more I can say to whet your appetites for this one. It’s Bank Holiday Monday, your plans to watch the Test match were, er, rudely ruined by events yesterday and we’re bringing you big dumb entertainment for free – they’ll make you actually pay to see the Avengers movie (also it’s not that good).
Play begins, as you may know by now, at 11.30am BST or 4pm Chennai time. Toss and team news when they’re in, but in the meantime, enjoy some seasonal music.
