Dhoni, Rayudu raze down 206 in blaze of sixes
A stunning 102 runs came off sixes as Chennai Super Kings consigned Royal Challengers Bangalore to another deflating loss at home
A stunning 102 runs came off sixes as Chennai Super Kings consigned Royal Challengers Bangalore to another deflating loss at home
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Vishal Dikshit
12.15pm That's that with Dhoni's knock, match-winning speech and CSK going on top of the table as RCB try to figure their best XI, how to finish their 20 overs best and whom to bowl in the death overs, and whom not to. Hope you enjoyed our coverage of this run-fest and Dhoni finishing off after another AB special on the losing side. I'm Vishal Dikshit signing off, watch out for Sunrisers versus Kings XI tomorrow. Good night and good luck!
Dhoni Man of the Match: I thought it was a difficult chase when I saw AB batting to see them over 200, I thougt it was 15-20 beyond par. We also lost some key batsmen early but it's a small ground, the ball travels a lot here, there was some dew, not a lot. Overall, it went according to the script, not according to how we would have thought but went well. This was a slightly slowish wicket, AB's innings was very special, it seemed as if he took them at a really good pace, especially against good quality spinners. Credit goes to the spinners an it's good to be on the winning side, everyone is chipping in, we're chasing totals and Thakur is bowling well, he was under the pump earlier. What's important in a chase is to know which bowler has how many left and who the captain will bowl when and you play accordingly. You will win some, you'll lose some but the job of the finisher is to finish the job and help others, sharing the experience with others, all those things really matter because I may not batting tomorrow. Second innings, to get that target with two-three balls left, it's strange. Rayudu is important in this line-up because he keeps the scoreboard moving, and small grounds are ideal for him. On a bigger ground, he may lose his shape a little while hitting those shots.
Raja Mohamed Mo: "if RCB has an ABD, we CSK have ABD too (Ambati Bravo Dhoni)"
Pranay: "Kohli can blame his bowlers all he wants.. for me the RCB captain was absent.. wrong team selection, did not carry the bat in a 20 over game, and poor on field captaincy overall.. not good! "
Rahul: "two wicket maiden overs are set back for RCB"
11.50pm A chase of 206 and CSK have sealed it with five wickets and two balls in hand. In a way, not many things have changed - AB scoring at a swashbuckling strike rate of 227, Imran Tahir running around like there's not tomorrow, both teams scoring over 200, Chahal picking up wickets and Dhoni hitting the winning runs. RCB will think if they should have got 220 because of the size of this ground and the depth CSK have in their batting. Their death bowling wasn't good at all again, the pressure was back on them as soon as Umesh and Chahal were bowled out by the 13th over.
Kohli: Many things we can look at from this game. The way we bowled was just not acceptable, giving that many runs in the end was criminal. It is something we need to look at and address going forward. If we can't defend 200 then it's a problem after 72 for 4 when the lower middle order does that to you. We have to back the guys and have enough confidence in them and they need to be clear in their head to execute things. The pitch played really well, spin played a massive factor. Some quality batting with both sides getting 200. Rayudu is not young, he's been around for 15 years now. He's a quality player and he's done well for India. You never know who gets a chance somehere and I'm happy for him. Dhoni is looking in really good touch, he's hitting the ball really well this IPL but not great to see it against us.
Rayudu gets the orange cap: Unbelievable. We lost a few wickets early, but on this ground anything is possible. I'm not really bothered (about where I'm batting) because I'm hitting the ball really well. We had the belief and we were calculating which bowler had how many bowlers, we just wanted to play out Chahal.
Five from three and Dhoni on strike
Six from four
Dhoni punches Bravo's glove in the middle of the pitch, Kohli talks to Anderson and walks back to long off. 16 to win
Bumble's good old humour: I think that's the over, it's over
Nehra has his hand on his mouth
These are nerves, I wouldn't want to be the bowler either
Slow starter? Spent force? Definitely not on Wednesday night, when Chennai Super Kings' captain rolled back the years in an awe-inspiring burst of power-hitting
MS Dhoni struck seven sixes, his personal best in a single IPL game, to seal a high-scoring win for Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru
Plus, how bad have Royal Challengers been at the death this season? (Spoiler: extremely bad)
A stunning 102 runs came off sixes as Chennai Super Kings consigned Royal Challengers Bangalore to another deflating loss at home
The hosts have been over-reliant on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for their runs. Will one of them do the job again against CSK?