24 may 2011
Chennai stuns Bangalore, reach finals
Mumbai: 
How did Chennai win this? How did Bangalore lose this? Chennai always seemed to be lagging behind but surged like a tidal wave, with the odd run-filled over now and then, to storm in to the IPL final. At the forefront was a feisty Suresh Raina, who pulled out the big shots through the latter half of the chase to set up an improbable win.
Bangalore will look back and rue at a few poor overs. There were full tosses and length deliveries galore and Chennai capitalised in some style. Virat Kohli bowled a slew of full tosses in the ninth over to leak 16 runs, and Abhimanyu Mithun kept bowling length deliveries in the 13th over, bleeding 23 runs. It included a fabulously carved six over the covers as Raina went down on a bent knee, to follow his muscled heave over long-off. Even then, the equation - 82 from 42 balls - seemed a tough proposition and it got tougher when it came down to 58 from 24. Chris Gayle had led from front with a parsimonious spell that read 4-0-19-0 as he fired in the skidders and the occasional yorker to pin down Chennai.
But that man Raina wasn't done yet and ramped it up style in the 17th over bowled by Zaheer Khan, who had bowled so well in his first spell of three overs. Raina's two sixes over midwicket, a thumping pull and a clubbed swing, was sandwiched by a bottom-hand powered six over wide long-on by MS Dhoni, who fell in the same over. Zaheer went for 20 runs in that over and Chennai had well and truly seized the momentum.
More agony awaited Bangalore in the 19th over. Albie Morkel crashed a slower ball over long-on and clubbed a full toss over long-off before Raina killed another full toss over midwicket boundary. That 21-run over left Chennai needing 12 from the final over by Daniel Vettori and Morkel dragged a four to wide long-on and absolutely walloped the fourth delivery over midwicket boundary to win the contest.
Until those frenetic end overs, Bangalore might have thought they had done enough to win the game. Will Bangalore deflate like cheap party balloons if Gayle went out early? Bangalore, led by a Kohli, answered that question in an emphatic manner to reach a competitive total.
Bangalore were in danger of slipping into freefall after Gayle fell cheaply, trapped by R Aswhin, but Kohli and Luke Pomersbach ensured they stayed afloat. While Kohli batted with calculated aggression, Pomersbach counterattacked, taking 17 runs in the 15th over, off Dwayne Bravo. A murderous heave to wide long-on, a slash to third man and a screaming flat six over midwicket were the highlights. Kohli, though, was the person who sculpted and shaped Bangalore's innings. Two shots in particular perfectly reflected his assured knock. In the 13th over, he sashayed back to a back-of-length delivery from Suresh Raina to unfurl a peachy punch to the cover-point boundary. Then, off the final ball of the 16th over, he leaned forward to play a classy whipped lofted hit over wide long-on boundary against Ashwin. He went on to play two more screaming sixes - over long-on and covers - off Morkel in the 19th over to push Bangalore to a good total but Raina decided to seize the night.
How did Chennai win this? How did Bangalore lose this? Chennai always seemed to be lagging behind but surged like a tidal wave, with the odd run-filled over now and then, to storm in to the IPL final. At the forefront was a feisty Suresh Raina, who pulled out the big shots through the latter half of the chase to set up an improbable win.Bangalore will look back and rue at a few poor overs. There were full tosses and length deliveries galore and Chennai capitalised in some style. Virat Kohli bowled a slew of full tosses in the ninth over to leak 16 runs, and Abhimanyu Mithun kept bowling length deliveries in the 13th over, bleeding 23 runs. It included a fabulously carved six over the covers as Raina went down on a bent knee, to follow his muscled heave over long-off. Even then, the equation - 82 from 42 balls - seemed a tough proposition and it got tougher when it came down to 58 from 24. Chris Gayle had led from front with a parsimonious spell that read 4-0-19-0 as he fired in the skidders and the occasional yorker to pin down Chennai.
But that man Raina wasn't done yet and ramped it up style in the 17th over bowled by Zaheer Khan, who had bowled so well in his first spell of three overs. Raina's two sixes over midwicket, a thumping pull and a clubbed swing, was sandwiched by a bottom-hand powered six over wide long-on by MS Dhoni, who fell in the same over. Zaheer went for 20 runs in that over and Chennai had well and truly seized the momentum.
More agony awaited Bangalore in the 19th over. Albie Morkel crashed a slower ball over long-on and clubbed a full toss over long-off before Raina killed another full toss over midwicket boundary. That 21-run over left Chennai needing 12 from the final over by Daniel Vettori and Morkel dragged a four to wide long-on and absolutely walloped the fourth delivery over midwicket boundary to win the contest.
Until those frenetic end overs, Bangalore might have thought they had done enough to win the game. Will Bangalore deflate like cheap party balloons if Gayle went out early? Bangalore, led by a Kohli, answered that question in an emphatic manner to reach a competitive total.
Bangalore were in danger of slipping into freefall after Gayle fell cheaply, trapped by R Aswhin, but Kohli and Luke Pomersbach ensured they stayed afloat. While Kohli batted with calculated aggression, Pomersbach counterattacked, taking 17 runs in the 15th over, off Dwayne Bravo. A murderous heave to wide long-on, a slash to third man and a screaming flat six over midwicket were the highlights. Kohli, though, was the person who sculpted and shaped Bangalore's innings. Two shots in particular perfectly reflected his assured knock. In the 13th over, he sashayed back to a back-of-length delivery from Suresh Raina to unfurl a peachy punch to the cover-point boundary. Then, off the final ball of the 16th over, he leaned forward to play a classy whipped lofted hit over wide long-on boundary against Ashwin. He went on to play two more screaming sixes - over long-on and covers - off Morkel in the 19th over to push Bangalore to a good total but Raina decided to seize the night.
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