Murali Vijay’s brilliant knock of 78 from just 39 balls helped Chennai win by five wickets over Bangalore.
A steady half-century stand by Jacques Kallis and Virat Kohli, followed by a late flurry from Kevin Pietersen and Cameron White helped Royal Challengers Bangalore to a middle of the road score of 161. The spinners - Muttiah Muralitharan and Shadab Jakati - got some grip from the surface and that helped Chennai Super Kings prevent Bangalore from racing away to a more intimidating score.
Thilan Thushara got some pace and zip off the wicket in his first spell, beating and cramping Kallis for room with a couple of fizzers at the start. Manpreet Gony also tried to hit the deck but didn’t get the ball to skid through like Thushara did and was pasted. It was a forgettable day for the fast bowler, given another chance to make up for an indifferent tournament so far. He started by dropping a sitter at mid-off when Robin Uthappa went for a big hit down the ground. The sight of C Ganapathy running from mid-on may have played on his mind but Gony was comfortably under it, only to grab at the ball and spill it.
Uthappa ensured, for a brief moment, that he made Gony pay for that drop by clubbing two sixes and a beautifully squirting a four past third man. Uthappa had already led a charmed life against Chennai the last time they met, in Bangalore, when he was dropped twice in his blitzkrieg 68. But just when he threatened to hit Chennai below the belt again, he gave Gony a shot at redemption by slogging straight to him at midwicket.
The drop cost Chennai 21 runs, but it brought Kallis and Kohli together for a stand of 63 for the third wicket. They focused on keeping wickets in hand and kept dropping the ball to pick up singles against the spinners. Jakati and Muttiah Muralitharan didn’t leak boundaries but the fielders couldn’t plug the singles. Ganapathy, playing his first game, bowled two full tosses in his only over and was promptly punished by Kallis, sliced past third man and scooped over midwicket for six.
The problem of full-tosses remains a grey area for Chennai but ironically, it was that sort of ball which helped break the partnership. Kohli chipped down the track to a full toss and scooped it straight down M Vijay’s throat at long-on. It was the start of the best over the day, as Kallis tried to pinch a cheeky single to extra cover and was run out by yards, thanks to a sharp pick up and throw by Suresh Raina back to the bowler. It turned out to be a double-wicket maiden for Chennai.
Chennai however undid the good work by letting White and Pietsersen off the hook with a brisk stand of 44 in 4.3 overs. White wrecked Thushara’s figures by making room and swatting him over the onside before Pietersen walloped him over long-off for a big six. Chennai could have limited them to a lesser score, but after losing the toss, they would have settled for that target.