| 0.0 : It is Match 50 of the Indian T20 League between Chennai and Delhi in Chennai. Hello and a warm welcome to everyone. Both the teams would want to win this game to stay in the top two of the points table. MS Dhoni who missed the last game due to fever might play today's game if he recovers and it will be a major boost for them. On the other hand, Delhi would like to take revenge of the first match which they played against them in Delhi. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw will be the key players for |
| PITCH REPORT - Graeme Swann with the pitch report tells us there is not a blade of grass on the surface, and that it looks absolutely bald with a lot of cracks all the way. He feels that the spinners will rule the roost. He informs us that the surface is rock hard. Swann mentions that the ball hitting the crack will turn big as the ball will grip. Reckons it is a typical Chennai wicket. Signs off by saying that the captain winning the toss would like to bat first and that if one scores 150-160, |
| TOSS - Delhi win the toss and elect to bowl first. |
| Delhi skipper, Shreyas Iyer hopes for dew in the second innings. He states that they have 3 spinners and the wicket is dry right now so they would like to make best use of it. Informs us that their changes are Trent Boult and Jagadeesha Sucith coming in for Kagiso Rabada and Ishant Sharma. Tells us that it is the issue of a stiff back with Rabada while a problematic ankle is troubling Ishant. |
| Chennai skipper, MS Dhoni feels that there is chance of less dew tonight as there is a lot of cloud cover. Mentions that they were looking to bat first anyway. Tells us that he is not 100 percent fit but he has learnt that is the case with most players playing international cricket. Informs us that there is a bit of weakness but no fever for last couple of days. He jokes that it might be a worry for the opposition if he coughs on them. Says that they have a number of changes that is with himself |
| Delhi XI - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Colin Ingram, Sherfane Rutherford, Axar Patel, Jagadeesha Suchith (IN FOR SANDEEP LAMICHHANE), Chris Morris (IN FOR ISHANT SHARMA), Amit Mishra, Trent Boult (IN FOR KAGISO RABADA). |
| Chennai XI - Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis (IN FOR MURALI VIJAY), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C/WK) (IN FOR DHRUV SHOREY), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja (IN FOR MITCHELL SANTNER), Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir. |
| We are all set to begin here in Chennai! Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis are the two openers for the home side while Trent Boult has the new ball in hand for Delhi. Let's play! |
| 0.1 : T Boult to du Plessis, A good nut to start. On a length outside off, holding its shape slightly, Faf plays inside the line, looks to defend but then attempts to take the bat away. So shall we call it a play and a miss? Or did he know what he was doing? |
| 0.2 : T Boult to du Plessis, Full and outside off, nice cover drive but straight to short extra cover. |
| 0.3 : T Boult to du Plessis, Outside off, this time Faf pushes it towards point, sets off for a single but is sent back. |
| 0.4 : T Boult to du Plessis, Outside off, Faf looks to drive but misses. Boult looks to appeal but then bails out. |
| 0.5 : T Boult to du Plessis, Around middle and off, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 0.6 : T Boult to S Watson, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. A good start from Boult. Just a run from the opening over. |
| Jagadeesha Suchith to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : J Suchith to du Plessis, Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 1.2 : J Suchith to du Plessis, Around middle and off, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.3 : J Suchith to S Watson, Flighted delivery on leg, Watson looks to sweep but gets hit on the pads. |
| 1.4 : J Suchith to S Watson, Short on off, Watson makes room and cuts it to point. |
| 1.5 : J Suchith to S Watson, Floated on middle, Watson blocks it off his back foot. |
| 1.6 : J Suchith to S Watson, That delivery hurried onto him. Floated on leg, Watson looks to defend but gets hit low on the pads. Good start from Suchith as well. |
| 2.1 : T Boult to du Plessis, Outside off, barely comes onto the bat, Faf looks to punch but is early into the shot. Gets a bottom edge towards cover. |
| 2.2 : T Boult to du Plessis, On a length around middle, du Plessis comes down the track, trying to make his own pace but is cramped for room. Fends it to the leg side. |
| 2.3 : T Boult to du Plessis, RUN OUT MISSED! Watson was gone for all money. Full on leg, du Plessis works it through mid-wicket. Watson is hesitant for the single as he does not know where the ball is, with Boult in his way. But eventually, Faf pushes him into it. Prithvi Shaw charges to his right from mid on and goes for a direct hit at the keeper's end but misses it. Replays show that Watson was a goner. |
| 2.4 : T Boult to S Watson, Full and outside off, Watson leans and drives it through the covers. Jagadeesha Suchith dives to his left and makes a wonderful stop. |
| 2.5 : T Boult to S Watson, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Watson looks to defend but misses it due to the away movement on this one. |
| 2.6 : T Boult to S Watson, BEATEN! Watson is beaten twice here. Again on a good length and outside off, Shane looks to defend but misses it due to the seam movement on this one. Just 3 runs have come from the first three overs. This is great stuff from Delhi. |
| 3.1 : J Suchith to du Plessis, Fired down the leg side, following the batsman, du Plessis makes room to the leg side and punches it wide of long on. He wants the second but Watson is happy with the single. |
| 3.2 : J Suchith to S Watson, OUT! Straight to the man! There is only one man in the vast real estate on the leg side. And Watson has demonstrated excellent coaching skills with this catching practice drill. Short and outside off, Watto rocks back and pulls it away but the ball does not come on to the bat that well, nor does it bounce much. Hence, there is not much elevation either. It goes flat and straight to Axar Patel at deep mid-wicket who is waiting for it patiently. So the choke works. Chen |
| Suresh Raina walks out to bat at number 3. |
| 3.3 : J Suchith to du Plessis, Tossed up on middle, du Plessis flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 3.4 : J Suchith to S Raina, Flighted delivery on middle, Raina tucks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 3.5 : J Suchith to du Plessis, Tossed up on middle, du Plessis easily flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 3.6 : J Suchith to S Raina, Floated on off, Raina guides it to short third man. 4 runs and a wicket have come from the over. |
| Chris Morris to bowl now. |
| 4.1 : C Morris to du Plessis, On a good length on leg, du Plessis looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. |
| 4.2 : C Morris to du Plessis, FOUR! First boundary of the match and it releases the pressure for Chennai. Poor delivery from Morris. Full toss on leg, du Plessis flicks it towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 4.3 : C Morris to du Plessis, On a good length on leg, du Plessis looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. Morris appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. Probably it would have missed the leg stump. Good ball from Chris Morris. |
| 4.4 : C Morris to du Plessis, WIDE! Bowls it down the leg side, du Plessis looks to go after it but misses it. |
| C Morris to du Plessis, On a length on middle, Faf flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 4.5 : C Morris to S Raina, On a good length on off, Raina blocks it well. |
| 4.6 : C Morris to S Raina, FOUR! Risky shot from Suresh Raina. Bowls it on a length and outside off, Raina looks to play away from the body but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man for a boundary. 10 runs have come from the over. A much-needed over for Chennai. |
| Axar Patel to bowl as well. |
| 5.1 : A Patel to du Plessis, Outside off, punched towards cover. |
| 5.2 : A Patel to du Plessis, Comes down the track but is not to the pitch of the ball. Mistimes it back to the bowler. |
| 5.3 : A Patel to du Plessis, Drags it from well outside off and swipes it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 5.4 : A Patel to S Raina, FOUR! A rare boundary. Not that bad a ball, fractionally short in length, but that is enough for Raina. He picks it up in a trice, goes back and punches it between cover and point. |
| 5.5 : A Patel to S Raina, FOUR! Off balance but gets runs! Full and fired down the leg side, Raina gets down to sweep, loses balance but manages to get it past short fine leg for another boundary! |
| 5.6 : A Patel to S Raina, Flicks this wide of mid on for a single. 20 from the final 2 overs of Powerplay, Chennai are 27/1. A sedate start. |
| Jagadeesha Suchith is back on. 2-0-5-1 so far. |
| 6.1 : J Suchith to S Raina, FOUR! CARESSED! Welcome into the attack, mate! Full and outside off, plenty of flight, Raina leans and drives it through the covers for a boundary! |
| 6.2 : J Suchith to S Raina, IN THE AIR... SAFE! Flirting with danger, is Suresh. Comes down the track, has a massive hoick, is nowhere near the pitch of the ball and gets a leading edge. The ball goes high in the air but luckily for the batsman, it evades Prithvi Shaw running back from point! Two runs taken. |
| 6.3 : J Suchith to S Raina, BEATEN! Tossed up just outside off, Raina looks to guide but misses it. |
| 6.4 : J Suchith to S Raina, Floated on off, Raina plays it towards point for a single. |
| 6.5 : J Suchith to du Plessis, Full on off, du Plessis drives it towards mid off for a run. |
| 6.6 : J Suchith to S Raina, Floated on middle and leg, Raina flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| Amit Mishra to bowl now. |
| 7.1 : A Mishra to S Raina, Full on middle, pushed through mid on for a single. |
| 7.2 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Outside off, punched off the back foot for one. |
| 7.3 : A Mishra to S Raina, Full and fired around leg stump, pushed towards long on for a run. |
| 7.4 : A Mishra to du Plessis, That is a beauty. What a difference it makes when you slow down the speed. Mishra gives this plenty of flight, outside off, Faf looks to punch but is comprehensively beaten. |
| 7.5 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 7.6 : A Mishra to S Raina, Full on middle, pushed through mid on for one more. |
| Chris Morris returns. 1-0-10-0 so far. |
| 8.1 : C Morris to S Raina, Good ball from Chris Morris. On a good length on middle, Raina blocks it off his back foot. |
| 8.2 : C Morris to S Raina, FOUR! THRASH! Raina is looking in solid touch so far. 29 from 17 so far. A length ball, around middle, Raina backs away and then hammers it straight back over the bowler's head. Mid on has no chance. |
| 8.3 : C Morris to S Raina, On a length on off, Raina plays it to covers. |
| 8.4 : C Morris to S Raina, Full and outside off, Raina drives it through point for a run. |
| 8.5 : C Morris to du Plessis, FOUR! 50 up for Chennai. Morris is leaking runs here. A short ball, down the leg side, Faf swivels and pulls it to the fine leg fence! 1.5-0-19-0 so far for the South African all-rounder. |
| 8.6 : C Morris to du Plessis, On a good length on off, du Plessis keeps it out. |
| STRATEGIC BREAK. So 7 from the first 4 overs - 43 from the last 5. Some sort of a recovery from Chennai. They are slowly trying to score freely but not entirely. Delhi might want to break this stand as quickly as possible, else the projected score of 125 might just swell to 150-plus. |
| 9.1 : A Mishra to S Raina, Full on off, Raina drives it through mid off for a single. |
| 9.2 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Tossed up outside off, du Plessis drives it to covers. |
| 9.3 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Short and outside off, du Plessis cuts it towards point for a run. |
| 9.4 : A Mishra to S Raina, Floated delivery outside leg, Raina looks to sweep but misses it and gets hit on the pads. Mishra appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. An easy decision for the umpire as it was pitching outside leg. |
| 9.5 : A Mishra to S Raina, Flighted delivery on middle, Raina flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 9.6 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Full on off, Faf drives it to covers. |
| Sherfane Rutherford into the attack now. |
| 10.1 : S Rutherford to S Raina, 50 partnership comes up between Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis. They will look to accelerate. Short delivery on leg, Raina nudges it towards square leg for a run. |
| 10.2 : S Rutherford to du Plessis, On a length on middle, du Plessis flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 10.3 : S Rutherford to S Raina, Full on leg, Raina flicks it towards fine leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 10.4 : S Rutherford to S Raina, WIDE! Bowls a short delivery wide outside off, Raina lets it go. |
| S Rutherford to S Raina, On a length on middle, Raina flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 10.5 : S Rutherford to du Plessis, Great stop by Shikhar Dhawan. Short and outside off, du Plessis cuts it towards point where Dhawan does well to stop it with a dive to his right. The batsmen still pick up a single. |
| 10.6 : S Rutherford to S Raina, Full on middle, Raina makes room and drives it through covers for a run. |
| 11.1 : A Mishra to S Raina, Full and outside off, Raina drives it to covers. |
| 11.2 : A Mishra to S Raina, Tossed up on off, Raina drives it through mid off for a run. |
| 11.3 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Great stop by Colin Ingram. Floated on middle, du Plessis plays a sweep through mid-wicket. Colin Ingram in the deep puts in a dive and does well to stop it. He saves two runs for the team. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 11.4 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Floated delivery on off, Faf blocks it off his back foot. |
| 11.5 : A Mishra to du Plessis, Tossed up on off, Faf hits it over covers for a run. Shikhar Dhawan has to run a long way to his right and there is ample opportunity for the second but Raina is happy with one. Faf is not happy with his partner. He wanted the second... |
| 11.6 : A Mishra to S Raina, FOUR! Another rare boundary. Full and down the leg side, Raina gets down and sweeps it over a leaping Chris Morris at short fine leg. The South African leapt to his right but in vain. |
| 12.1 : S Rutherford to du Plessis, Full on leg, du Plessis looks to flick but gets it off his pads. It goes towards mid-wicket for a single. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 12.2 : S Rutherford to S Raina, Short delivery, Raina pulls it through square leg for a run. |
| 12.3 : S Rutherford to du Plessis, WIDE! Bowls it down the leg side, Faf looks to play at that but misses it. |
| S Rutherford to du Plessis, SIX! THUMP! There comes the first six of the innings and for the first time tonight, the run rate goes above 6! A length ball outside off, Faf du Plessis backs away to the leg side, spots the change in pace and smacks it over extra cover! Faf moves to 31 from 36 balls and this stand is now picking up - 74 from 55 deliveries. |
| 12.4 : S Rutherford to du Plessis, Full on middle, du Plessis flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 12.5 : S Rutherford to S Raina, Short delivery, Raina pulls it through mid-wicket for just a single. |
| 12.6 : S Rutherford to du Plessis, On a length on off, du Plessis plays it towards point for a run. 12 runs come off this over, a good one for the hosts! |
| Axar Patel is back on. 1-0-10-0 so far. |
| 13.1 : A Patel to du Plessis, On middle and off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 13.2 : A Patel to du Plessis, SIX! 'CATCH IT WITH A DIVE!' screams Simon Doull on air, to Lisa Sthalekar. That landed right in front of the commentary box. Full and outside off, du Plessis comes down the track and sends it flying down the ground! |
| 13.3 : A Patel to du Plessis, OUT! Taken in the deep! The 83-run stand is broken and Faf is out of here. A wicket at the perfect time for Delhi. Faf and Raina were accelerating and this will put some sort of a halt to Chennai's hitting. Tossed up outside off, this is with a bit of less pace. 85.6 kph. Du Plessis comes down the track again and looks to go inside out but this time, he is not quite to the pitch of the ball. It hits the bottom of the bat and goes towards long off. It is actually a go |
| MS Dhoni walks out to bat amidst a huge roar from the Chepauk crowd! |
| 13.4 : A Patel to S Raina, Short delivery, Raina pulls it through mid-wicket for just a single. |
| 13.5 : A Patel to MS Dhoni, BEATEN! Beauty of a delivery from Axar Patel. Tossed up just outside off, Dhoni looks to drive but misses it due to the turn on this one. Pant whips off the bails in a flash. |
| 13.6 : A Patel to MS Dhoni, Flighted delivery on off, Dhoni plays it back towards the bowler where Axar Patel does well to stop it with his left. |
| Jagadeesha Suchith to bowl now. |
| 14.1 : J Suchith to S Raina, FOUR! Full and outside off, Raina gets down and drags a sweep wide of mid-wicket. |
| 14.2 : J Suchith to S Raina, FOUR! FIFTY FOR RAINA! 37th in the League but 50th IN T20S! Is he back in form? Full and outside off, Raina comes down the track and smashes it straight back over the bowler for a boundary down the ground! Will we now see the aggressive side of Suresh? |
| 14.3 : J Suchith to S Raina, SIX! He leaps, he flies and ALMOST gets it! Trent Boult, take a bow. What a superlative effort. Full and outside off, Raina comes down the track and swings it over wide long on. It seems it is clearing the ropes but Boult races to his left, sticks his left hand out, leaps but the ball bursts through his hand and lands beyond the ropes. Boult smiles as his fielders applaud his effort. 100 UP FOR CHENNAI. Another 60 on the cards from here? |
| 14.4 : J Suchith to S Raina, Short and outside off, Raina cuts it to point. |
| 14.5 : J Suchith to S Raina, OUT! Dhawan takes a blinder! Boy, the Gabbar is roaring at the Chepauk. That too, with a smile. Tossed up outside off, lack of pace, Raina comes down the track and looks to swing hard but is done in by the lack of pace. He is not to the pitch of the ball but gets a leading edge. Initially, it seems like it will land safely but Dhawan runs back from point, keeps his eyes on the ball and then dives backward. Eventually, he takes it with his right hand and then falls on |
| Suprise, surprise! Ravindra Jadeja walks out at number 5! Maybe to combat the slow left-arms and the leg-spinner. |
| 14.6 : J Suchith to MS Dhoni, Tossed up on leg, Dhoni goes on the back foot and plays it back towards the bowler. Suchith finishes his spell with figures of 4-0-28-2. 14 runs have come from the over and a crucial wicket of Suresh Raina. |
| Strategic break! Right then, Chennai have just lost the set batsman in Raina just after he got to his half-ton and that means two relatively new batsmen in the middle. That gives Delhi a good chance to slow down things a bit here and restrict the hosts. Dhoni and co. though would have other ideas. Which side will be happier at the end of the last five overs? |
| 15.1 : A Patel to R Jadeja, Floated delivery on leg, Jadeja flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 15.2 : A Patel to MS Dhoni, Tossed up on middle, Dhoni punches it to long on for a run. |
| 15.3 : A Patel to R Jadeja, Flighted delivery on leg, Jadeja tucks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 15.4 : A Patel to MS Dhoni, Short on off, Dhoni makes room and cuts it towards covers for a run. |
| 15.5 : A Patel to R Jadeja, DROPPED, SIX! Ordinary effort from Rutherford. Was he thinking about the ropes behind? Full and outside off, Jadeja gets down and mows the slog sweep. It is not a clean hit and Sherfane Rutherford has a chance running to his right from deep backward square leg. However, strangely, he looks to parry the ball away, instead of catching it, perhaps fearing that he might cross the rope. But the ball bursts through his hands and lands beyond the boundary! |
| 15.6 : A Patel to R Jadeja, FOUR! Off the edge! Lucky for Jadeja. He jumps down the track and swings hard but is nowhere near the pitch of the ball. It takes the outside edge and flies over Rishabh Pant's gloves to the third man fence. 28 from the last 2 overs! |
| Chris Morris returns. 2-0-19-0 as of now. |
| 16.1 : C Morris to MS Dhoni, Morris bowls it on a good length and outside off, Dhoni looks to go for a big shot but misses it. |
| 16.2 : C Morris to MS Dhoni, On a good length on off, Dhoni plays it back towards Morris. |
| 16.3 : C Morris to MS Dhoni, FOUR! Poor bowling. Short and asks for trouble. Gets plenty of it. It is almost waist high and Dhoni has zero trouble in swivelling and pulling it behind square leg. |
| 16.4 : C Morris to MS Dhoni, Full on middle, Dhoni drives it to long on for a run. |
| 16.5 : C Morris to R Jadeja, FOUR! Cheeky from Jadeja! Third man was up and the ball was on a length outside off. 'Sir' just opened the face of his bat at the last moment and guided it past short third man! |
| 16.6 : C Morris to R Jadeja, Full and outside off, Jadeja drives it to long off for a run. 38 runs have come from the last three overs. |
| Trent Boult is back on. 2-0-2-0 so far. |
| 17.1 : T Boult to R Jadeja, Short of a length delivery, Jadeja pulls it through mid-wicket. First they take the single and suddenly Jadeja wants the second but Dhoni does the right thing in sending him back. |
| 17.2 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, TOP EDGE, FOUR! Chennai are getting the runs now. A slower delivery, but short with fine leg up? All the best. Dhoni looks to pull but is early. However, the ball takes the top edge and goes over short fine leg! |
| 17.3 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, Short delivery on leg, Dhoni pulls it towards short fine leg and takes a quick single. |
| 17.4 : T Boult to R Jadeja, Full on middle, Jadeja drives it to long on for a run. |
| 17.5 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, Good short delivery from Trent Boult. Bowls short of a length delivery on leg, Dhoni pulls it towards short fine leg where Amit Mishra does well to stop it with a dive. The batsmen take a run. |
| 17.6 : T Boult to R Jadeja, SIX! THUMP! 14, 14, 10, 14 - this is how the last 4 overs have fared. Another slower ball from Boult, full and outside off, but Jadeja picks it. Gets underneath the same and hammers the bones out of this one, clobbering it over long on! Jadeja has moved to 25 from 9 balls, in a stand of 38! |
| 18.1 : C Morris to MS Dhoni, FOUR! Unlucky for Morris. He goes full and fast and Dhoni swings hard. But the ball goes off the inner half of the bat and escapes between short fine leg and backward square leg! The stand is now worth 42 from 20 balls. |
| 18.2 : C Morris to MS Dhoni, Full toss outside off, Dhoni smashes it through covers for a single. |
| 18.3 : C Morris to R Jadeja, OUT! Another stunning catch and Morris has his first! A length ball around off, slower in pace, Jadeja looks to slog but gets a top edge. Morris himself calls for it, running to his left and takes a brilliant catch. A decent 10-ball 25 cameo from Jaddu. |
| Ambati Rayudu walks out to bat next. |
| 18.4 : C Morris to A Rayudu, FOUR! Another slower ball, short in length, Rayudu pulls it over mid-wicket. Jagadeesha Suchith runs to his right from deep mid-wicket and slides awkwardly but misses the ball. |
| 18.5 : C Morris to A Rayudu, 150 up for Chennai. IN THE AIR BUT SAFE! Full on middle, Rayudu looks to go over mid on but gets a top edge. It goes towards mid on where it lands safely in no man's land. The batsmen take a run. |
| 18.6 : C Morris to MS Dhoni, NO BALL, SIX! Dew, complains Morris to his captain. A high full toss, clearly slipping out of the hand, Dhoni is in no control and his bottom hand comes off the bat as he looks to pull. It flies over short fine leg and even clears the ropes! |
| FREE HIT COMING UP! |
| C Morris to MS Dhoni, Gets away with a loose delivery. Full toss outside off, Dhoni drives it straight but straight to sweeper cover. Just a single but 18 have come from the over - 70 from the last 5. |
| 19.1 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, Full and outside off, Dhoni looks to go big but gets an inside edge. It goes towards the keeper. |
| 19.2 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, On a length on middle, Dhoni lofts it over mid-wicket. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 19.3 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, FOUR! The helicopter... does not fly but buzzes over. Still good enough. What power. Full and almost in the blockhole, Dhoni tries to bring out the helicopter shot but is not quite able to get underneath the ball. Still, with whatever part that he is able to get, Mahi smashes it straight back over the bowler and the ball runs down to the long on boundary. |
| 19.4 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, Short delivery on middle, Dhoni looks to pull but does not get of the middle of the bat. It goes towards mid-wicket where Boult runs and stops it. The batsmen take a run. |
| 19.5 : T Boult to A Rayudu, WIDE! Bowls it wide outside off, Rayudu looks to drive but misses it. Rayudu steals a bye and takes a quick single. Pant behind the stumps has an underarm shy at the striker's end but misses, Dhoni would have still probably been in though. Boult looks a little hard done by there. |
| T Boult to MS Dhoni, SIX! THWACK! A short ball, outside off, Dhoni pulls it right from the meat of the bat and clobbers it over mid-wicket! |
| 19.6 : T Boult to MS Dhoni, SIX! Two sixes on the last 2 balls and Chennai almost touch 180! A poor ball to finish, short and around off, Dhoni pulls it over deep backward square leg. Shikhar Dhawan at the ropes leaps, tries for an ungainly catch but the ball is well over! CHENNAI FINISH ON 179/4! |
| 4 overs - 7/1 - last 16 - 172/3! 91/2 in the last 6! Chennai, Chennai, Chennai, somehow, a way to score is found out by thy. There might be dew around but this is a tremendous score posted by the home side. |
| As mentioned in the previous text, Chennai got off to a sluggish start, losing Watson for a 9-ball duck but the 83-run stand between Raina and du Plessis brought them on track. However, with 2 wickets in the space of 9 balls, Delhi threatened to bounce back, only to be thwarted by King Midas himself. |
| First, Dhoni played second fiddle in a 43-run stand with Jadeja, scoring only 18 but after Jaddu got out, the skipper exploded. He was on 18 from 14 when Morris slipped in a high full toss - a beamer. From then, Dhoni's last few balls read - 6, 1, 0, 2, 4, 1, 6, 6 - 26 from his last 8. How many times have we seen the Chennai skipper hit a six on the final ball of an innings or match? |
| A mixed bowling bag from Delhi. They started nicely but then could not quite stem the run flow. Jagadeesha Suchith was highly effective upfront and finished with figures of 4-0-28-2 but the others suffered. Curiously, Amit Mishra did not bowl his full quota of overs in spite of conceding just 16 in his 3. Should he have been tried in the death overs where 91 were hammered? |
| Faf du Plessis is caught down for a chat with Lisa Sthalekar. He starts off by saying that it was important for Chennai to scrap it out at the start like the way they did because they have recently lost a lot of wickets in the Powerplay. He mentions that he and Raina did not worry about how many runs they got in the first six overs as they had a lot of hitters at the back end. Du Plessis informs us that they were just looking to set a platform for the guys later on to come and play freely. When |
| 180 to win. Delhi or Chennai? The run chase begins soon... |
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