9 May, 2008
Super win for Chennai

The Chennai Super Kings have claimed 15 off the final over to seal a nailbiting four-wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils on the last ball of the innings.

Contributions from Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Stephen Fleming, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Albie Morkel put Chennai close to its victory target of 188, but the task seemed to have defeated it coming into the final over with 15 needed.

Manpreet Gony hammered Shoaib Malik for six off the first ball, with a wide and an edged four contributing to the tension, before Manoj Tiwary lifted the final effort over the infield for the winning run - despite a fine attempted catch from Shikhar Dhawan.

Earlier Dhawan (59 from 46 deliveries) and Gautam Gambhir (80 off 49) had forged a century stand which seemed to put their side in a winning position with a total of 5-187.

Gambhir, the tournament's highest scorer, and India team-mate Virender Sehwag began in positive fashion, compiling 45 runs in five overs, before Sehwag (23 off 18) and AB de Villiers fell to yorkers from Gony and Morkel respectively.

Gambhir survived the tightest of run-out shouts to lead a partnership of 121 with Dhawan.

Gambhir passed 50 with an enormous six over deep mid-wicket off Gony and upped the pace from there, including three consecutive boundaries off Palani Amarnath.

Dhawan joined in, hitting a maximum off Lakshmipathy Balaji and bringing up his half-century, but the 26-year-old hit back later in the over.

Gambhir drove one straight at Kapugedera to end an excellent partnership and Dhawan soon followed, finding the same fielder in the deep to give Morkel his second wicket.

In reply, Vidyut raced to 40 off 22 balls before holing out to Dhawan off Pradeep Sangwan.

Fleming (44 off 28) took up the baton from Vidyut, finding gaps square on both sides of the wicket to pilfer a slew of boundaries.

But he too fell before reaching 50, the victim of a good low catch from De Villiers off the returning Mohammad Asif.

Morkel (31 off 15) struck three consecutive sixes and a four off one Sehwag over, but was run out shortly after, and when Dhoni fell for 33 off 33 it seemed the match was Delhi's - but Gony and Diwari saw Chennai home.


9 May, 2008
Boucher brilliance not enough

A blistering unbeaten half-century from Mark Boucher has proved in vain as the Bangalore Royal Challengers slipped to a five-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

The South African cracked 50 from 40 balls as Bangalore fell just short of its 130-run victory target in a match reduced to 16 overs because of rain.

Economical bowling from Sourav Ganguly in particular, who finished with figures of 1-7, limited Bangalore to 4-124 - and left it rooted to the foot of the IPL table.

Earlier Dale Steyn had taken 3-27 as Kolkata struggled to 7-129, but late runs at the end of the innings allowed the hosts to halt a run of four straight defeats.

Having posted a far from intimidating total, the dismissals of opening pair Jagadeesh Arunkumar (22) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (seven) gave Kolkata early hope.

And that turned to genuine belief when Rahul Dravid was bowled by his India team-mate Ganguly for just five to leave the Challengers languishing on 3-51 in the 10th over.

Boucher and Cameron White put on 45 in an impressive fourth-wicket partnership, but when the latter was run out for 30 to leave the visitors 34 runs from victory with less than two overs remaining the writing was on the wall for Bangalore.

Earlier, the Royal Challengers had struck quickly to remove Aakash Chopra (two) and Brad Hodge (10) in successive overs, the Indian trapped lbw by Steyn and the Australian holing out to Vinay Kumar at deep square leg off Zaheer Khan.

David Hussey came to the crease and immediately looked to hit out, following up a huge six down the ground with a textbook cover drive for four.

Ganguly had also looked in good touch on his way to 20 from 22 balls before some sluggish running between the wickets saw him run out by White.

Hussey pulled another maximum over long on before he too fell victim to a needless run-out, his quickfire 27 coming off just 12 balls.

Tatenda Taibu (15) became Steyn's second victim after top-edging a delivery for wicketkeeper Boucher to pouch before a shorter delivery from the South African did for Laxmi Shukla (12), who sliced it on to his own stumps.

And Prasanta Saha and Murali Kartik made a rapid 17 apiece at the death as Kolkata's total just proved sufficient.