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Chennai Super Kings see off Royal Challengers Bangalore to reach IPL final IPL 2015: Chennai Super Kings see off Bangalore to reach final
(about 2 hours later)
Chennai Super Kings reached Sunday’s IPL final by securing a three-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, with one ball to spare. However, this low-scoring match was rarely as thrilling as the close scoreline suggests and the suspicion was always that the RCB score was below par.Chennai Super Kings reached Sunday’s IPL final by securing a three-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, with one ball to spare. However, this low-scoring match was rarely as thrilling as the close scoreline suggests and the suspicion was always that the RCB score was below par.
MS Dhoni took the unusual step of bowling Ashish Nehra and Ravichandran Ashwin unchanged through the first six overs. It proved a good tactic as, although Chris Gayle hit the second ball of the match for six, scoring was a tricky business. Dhoni’s decision was compounded when Nehra removed Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – the latter given lbw to another poor decision – cheaply in the fifth over.MS Dhoni took the unusual step of bowling Ashish Nehra and Ravichandran Ashwin unchanged through the first six overs. It proved a good tactic as, although Chris Gayle hit the second ball of the match for six, scoring was a tricky business. Dhoni’s decision was compounded when Nehra removed Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – the latter given lbw to another poor decision – cheaply in the fifth over.
Ashwin, bowling through, had Mandeep Singh caught softly at square leg for four, reducing the Royal Challengers to 36 for three after 7.1 overs. The batsmen’s inability to either score runs at a decent pace or stay in the middle put enormous pressure on Gayle. At the halfway stage, though, RCB had managed only 46 runs, with only three fours and two sixes.Ashwin, bowling through, had Mandeep Singh caught softly at square leg for four, reducing the Royal Challengers to 36 for three after 7.1 overs. The batsmen’s inability to either score runs at a decent pace or stay in the middle put enormous pressure on Gayle. At the halfway stage, though, RCB had managed only 46 runs, with only three fours and two sixes.
Gayle’s long-standing back injury was clearly impeding his ability to get between the wickets and the combination of his refusal to cut loose and inability to take more than one run to almost any part of the ground made him a near liability to his team. He finally went after Suresh Raina in the 14th over, hitting back-to-back sixes, but then gave the bowler a simple return catch going for a third – out for a relatively pedestrian 41 from 43 balls.Gayle’s long-standing back injury was clearly impeding his ability to get between the wickets and the combination of his refusal to cut loose and inability to take more than one run to almost any part of the ground made him a near liability to his team. He finally went after Suresh Raina in the 14th over, hitting back-to-back sixes, but then gave the bowler a simple return catch going for a third – out for a relatively pedestrian 41 from 43 balls.
The 17-year-old Sarfaraz Khan took on the role of the aggressor but his promising partnership with Dinesh Karthik came to an end before it could do any real damage, the latter getting out in a fashion typical of the IPL: slapping a rubbish full toss high in the air and getting caught on the long on boundary. Still, it would be churlish to begrudge the excellent Nehra, who was remarkably consistent with his excellent off-stump line, his strong figures of three for 28.The 17-year-old Sarfaraz Khan took on the role of the aggressor but his promising partnership with Dinesh Karthik came to an end before it could do any real damage, the latter getting out in a fashion typical of the IPL: slapping a rubbish full toss high in the air and getting caught on the long on boundary. Still, it would be churlish to begrudge the excellent Nehra, who was remarkably consistent with his excellent off-stump line, his strong figures of three for 28.
Sarfaraz’s innings of 31 from 21 deliveries ensured that the Royal Challengers’ total would not be a humiliating one but, on a pitch that suited spinners, nor did it look like one that would be defended.Sarfaraz’s innings of 31 from 21 deliveries ensured that the Royal Challengers’ total would not be a humiliating one but, on a pitch that suited spinners, nor did it look like one that would be defended.
Runs may not have been easy to come by but the Royal Challengers needed early wickets in the chase. Although Sreenath Aravind had Dwayne Smith caught by Mitchell Starc for 17, it hurt that Faf du Plessis was dropped by Gayle off the very next ball and Mike Hussey should have been caught in the deep by Harshal Patel the delivery after that. By the end of the seventh over, CSK had only reached 41 for one but Hussey had been dropped again, this time by Karthik behind the stumps.Runs may not have been easy to come by but the Royal Challengers needed early wickets in the chase. Although Sreenath Aravind had Dwayne Smith caught by Mitchell Starc for 17, it hurt that Faf du Plessis was dropped by Gayle off the very next ball and Mike Hussey should have been caught in the deep by Harshal Patel the delivery after that. By the end of the seventh over, CSK had only reached 41 for one but Hussey had been dropped again, this time by Karthik behind the stumps.
The match looked to be drifting towards a slow, yet successful, dull chase, until Yuzvendra Chahal took the wickets of Du Plessis and Suresh Raina – the latter continuing his poor form in what has been his least productive IPL with the bat to date – in three balls to make it 62 for three after 10 overs.The match looked to be drifting towards a slow, yet successful, dull chase, until Yuzvendra Chahal took the wickets of Du Plessis and Suresh Raina – the latter continuing his poor form in what has been his least productive IPL with the bat to date – in three balls to make it 62 for three after 10 overs.
It looked as though a window of opportunity had been opened but this brought Dhoni to join Hussey in the middle and it is difficult to think of a better pair in world cricket for a small run chase. Hussey made an excellent 56 from 46 balls before getting out to David Wiese and there was a touch of drama when Dhoni nicked behind with the scores level and two balls remaining.It looked as though a window of opportunity had been opened but this brought Dhoni to join Hussey in the middle and it is difficult to think of a better pair in world cricket for a small run chase. Hussey made an excellent 56 from 46 balls before getting out to David Wiese and there was a touch of drama when Dhoni nicked behind with the scores level and two balls remaining.
It was fitting though that Ashwin, who had got the match off to such a good start for Chennai, was the man to knock off the winning run and line up a showdown against Mumbai Indians.It was fitting though that Ashwin, who had got the match off to such a good start for Chennai, was the man to knock off the winning run and line up a showdown against Mumbai Indians.