Mahendra Singh Dhoni delivers yet again for Chennai

Bengaluru: For a team that had come to depend, even over-depend on Chris Gayle, it was significant to see the intimidating West Indian being left out of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s line-up against Chennai Super Kings. A disappointing season in IPL7 for the home team and for Gayle came a full circle as Virat Kohli’s men ended their campaign in stark contrast to the way they began. A crushing defeat at home.

Having got the better of the M.S. Dhoni’s Super Kings in Ranchi last weekend, Kohli’s Challengers bit the dust as the formidable two-time champions nonchalantly cantered to an impressive eight-wicket victory at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday.

Kohli, not known to prolong a slump in form, struck his highest score of the season and only his third half-century with a stroke-filled 73, a shade less than half of his team’s modest 154 for six. It was never going to trouble the Super Kings and their openers Dwayne Smith, who got off to an eclectic start, and Faf du Plessis plundered 57 in just 4.3 overs to silence the RCB supporters’ remotest hopes. Smith’s muscling 34 off just 17 deliveries set the tempo before Dhoni (49* off 28balls) and du Plessis (54*) finished off the proceedings as Chennai powered to 160 for two with 14 deliveries to spare.

Sent into bat with a full house turning up at the turnstiles, no surprise here, the Royal Challengers made wholesale changes to the eleven in a bid to refresh their sagging spirits for the last time this season. The Super Kings got into the act straightaway getting rid off Rilee Rossouw in the first over.

Save for Kohli’s bustling knock and his 55-run fourth wicket partnership with Yuvraj Singh, who fell after a brisk 25, there was not much support for the young tyro. Kohli’s 49-ball knock contained five big sixes and two fours before he finally departed being yorked by the impressive Ashish Nehra (3/33) in the final over.

Super Kings, in their chase, shut out all escape routes for the home team as Smith, in his inimitable style bludgeoned the bowlers in the frenetic start before top-edging a skier to Kohli square-leg. But the die had been cast and though Suresh Raina also exited, skipper Dhoni, taking time out to attend to an iffy anklem smashed Yuvraj for some huge sixes, one of which threatened to break the media enclosure glass, to make the target look much smaller than it seemed. Adding an unconquered 75 off just 8.1 overs for the third wicket, Dhoni and du Plessis ensured the Super Kings’ place in the top-four.

Scoreboard

Royal Challengers Bangalore: R. Rossouw b Nehra 1, Y. Takawale lbw b Ashwin 19, V. Zol b Mohit 13, V. Kohli b Nehra 73, Yuvraj Singh c Raina b Jadeja 25, AB de Villiers b Nehra 10, S. Rana (not out) 5, M. Starc (not out) 2. Extras (lb2, w4) 6. Total (for six wickets in 20 overs) 154.
FoW: 1-2, 2-31, 3-33, 4-88, 5-130, 6-150.
Bowling: Nehra 4-0-33-3, Badree 3-0-29-0, Ashwin 4-0-33-1, Mohit 3-0-16-1, Raina 4-0-27-0, Jadeja 2-0-14-1.

Chennai Super Kings: D. Smith c Kohli b Rampaul 34, F. du Plessis (not out) 54, S. Raina st Takawale b Yuvraj 18, M.S. Dhoni (not out) 49. Extras (b4, w1) 5. Total (for two wickets in 17.4 overs) 160.
FoW: 1-57, 2-85.
Bowling: Jakati 3.4-0-41-0, Rampaul 2-0-21-1, Starc 3-0-33-0, Chahal 4-0-24-0, Rana 1-0-7-0, Yuvraj 4-0-30-1.