A superb all-round performance sent Mumbai Indians to the 2015 IPL final - Chennai Super Kings have another chance to join them, but must beat whichever of Rajasthan Royals or Royal Challengers Bangalore wins the eliminator
18.6 Nehra swings, slices, and Simmons hangs onto the catch!
18.5 Single to Nehra.
18.4 Ashwin goes to hoik over midwicket, again doesn’t middle it, only able to impart toe, and Rayudu steadies himself to hold.
18.3 Ashwin makes room and lofts down the ground, but he’s not caught it clean, and Pollard runs around from long-on to intercept, saving two; they run two.
18.2 Yorker length, Mohit carves to the point fence, and that’s one more.
18.1 Ashwin swings, but can only get one down to long-on. Sharma needs to get him back on strike rapidly.
18th over Chennai 157-8 (Ashwin 20, Sharma 1) Target 188 McClenaghan sends down an unnecessary bouncer, called wide for height, but the next two balls yield singles. That’s nowhere near enough for Chennai, so Ashwin slams six over mid-on, then, rather unnecessarily, premeditates a lap, beetling towards off and alerting the man at point, who beetles off in pursuit and allows just a single.
Looking for another maximum, Jadeja slashes outside off, and Suchith, running in from the rope, leaps forwards to hold a low catch at point.
18th over Chennai 147-7 (Jadeja 19, Ashwin 12) Target 188 McClenaghan back, curtains blowing in the wind - fitting, really, given their status as the answer to questions of peace - and Jadeja toes his first ball for six down the ground, just beating the leap and backwards dive of Pollard on the fence at long-on.
17th over Chennai 141-7 (Jadeja 13, Ashwin 12) Target 188 Malinga’s full and straight, funnily enough, his first two balls yielding just singles. But then Ashwin lifts over mid-off for four; can he manage another? He cannot, nudging around the corner for one, and nor can Jadeja, back-cutting for the same. One delivery left, boundaries required - and there’s it is, Ashwin jamming the bat down outside off and using the pace to run down to the third man fence. Well, Mumbai were 141-4 at the same stage - but with Pollard at the wicket.
16th over Chennai 129-7 (Jadeja 10, Ashwin 2) Target 188 The pressure’s relaxed now, but this is still a fine over from Kumar, ceding just eight runs and capturing a vital wicket. Both Jadeja and Ashwin know enough about hitting to make this close, but there’s not even a hint of that at the moment - oh, and here comes Malinga.
Negi has no choice but to hit out, and he looking to hit over mid-off, can’t get under it, and picks out Chand, on for Harbhajan.
15th over Chennai 121-6 (Jadeja 10, Negi 0) Target 188 This is still doable, but someone has to something spectacular.
That appears to have morphed into that. Again, Jadeja pushes for two, this time to deep square-leg, and running to the danger end, makes it - but Bravo’s reticence and concern for his partner causes him a problem. He lingers, looks, and Parthiv is alert enough, quick enough and skilled enough to throw down the stumps at the bowler’s end. Meanwhile, Pollard sulks, affronted that two was even possible.
15th over Chennai 119-5 (Bravo 20, Jadeja 8) Target 188 Pollard’s back, and after ceding a single from his first two balls, Jadeja cuts past backward point for four. Then, he runs one down to third man, sprinting the first hard enough to get back safely; very well done.
14th over Chennai 110-5 (Bravo 19, Jadeja 0) Target 188 This is looking too much for Chennai now.
Seeing no option but to go at Suchith, Du Plessis comes down and clouts one, but Suchith has held his nerve, flighting and keeping the pace off. The ball goes high, and Kumar runs in to hold.
14th over Chennai 110-4 (Du Plessis 45, Bravo 19) Target 188 Chennai have to go here, particularly with two overs of Malinga to come, and Bravo mashes Suchith’s second ball down the ground into the upper tier. Then, looking to cut almost off the bounce, an edge to third man adds four.
13th over Chennai 95-4 (Du Plessis 45, Bravo 8) Target 188 Bhaji to continue; is it acceptable to call him that, likewise Faf Faf. I mean, they’re two of my best mates, but even so. He’s bowling nice and slowly here, teasing the batsmen to take him on, but they can’t or won’t - four singles from the over, and it’s really hard to see a way for Chennai now. That’s 2/26 for Harbhajan’s spell, and time for an altruistic timeout.
12th over Chennai 95-4 (Du Plessis 43, Bravo 6) Target 188 With Raina gone, Suchith comes on, and the batsmen can’t get his leggies away to begin with - but after three singles and a dot, Bravo whisks four to midwicket. A further dot follows in response, and the run rate, now 11.62, looks menacing.
11th over Chennai 88-4 (Du Plessis 41, Bravo 1) Target 188 What an over this is, what an over this almost is. Bravo whacks uppishly, and Bhaji, in his follow-through, should snaffle the snaffle, moving left - but he thumbs it, and leaves the pitch to have his hand seen to. There’s no hole in it.
...flicked away by Bravo.
Hat-trick ball coming up ...
Dhoni gets a first-baller! Harbhajan’s a bit quicker than he’s expecting, he plays the sweep, but from middle-and-off, misses, and is plumb. That might just be the game - plenty of batting left, but plenty more to do!
Pressure tells! Aware that he needs to manufacture something, Raina goes at Harbhajan, thinks better of it immediately, and, defending, taps a return catch. All on Dhoni!
10th over Chennai 86-2 (Du Plessis 40, Raina 24) Target 188 Pollard’s back - Sharma’s keeping Suchith back hoping that the left-handed Raina will soon depart. Another quietish over - unlike Mumbai, who went hard all the way through, Chennai seem to be relying on a big finish.
9th over Chennai 79-2 (Du Plessis 39, Raina 20) Target 188 Faf is first to act with urgency, making room to hit over the top, but not getting all of it - little enough so that it drops well shy of long-off. They run one, and Raina comes down next ball, pounding six over long-on, before a single that allows Faf to snap four more through cover. Good over for Mumbai, 13 from it, and the pot is boiling. Time for a strategic ad-out!
8th over Chennai 67-2 (Du Plessis 34, Raina 13) Target 188 Pollard on, with pressure back on Chennai - they need some boundaries, but need not to lose more wickets. With the rate climbing above ten during the over, one of these two needs to go, but it’s just five singles scored; even three more like this, and it’ll be hard to see a way.
7th over Chennai 61-2 (Du Plessis 32, Raina 9) Target 188 Crucial moment in the game: Harbhajan into the attack. Faf works a single into the on-side, then a wide yields two, then another single. Bhaji’s enthusiasm and intensity is really something, he’s bowling as though he expects a wicket with every delivery, and will be relatively satisfied with ceding just seven from his first over.
6th over Chennai 54-2 (Du Plessis 29, Raina 7) Target 188 Gosh, Mumbai needed that. But after getting off the mark with a single and finding himself back down the other end when Faf nudges to square-leg, Raina anticipates a short one and absolutely annihilates it over long-on for six.
Hussey advances, wafts at a wide one, edges, and the still steaming Kumar has his wicket.
5th over Chennai 46-1 (Hussey 16, Du Plessis 28) Target 188 McClenaghan back, to donate Faf some width - he cuts hard, sending four hurtling to third man, then picks the next one up from outside off to muscle-pull four over midwicket. Two dots follow, but then the final ball is too straight, so summarily banished over square-leg. Those curtains aren’t sitting quite so proud anymore, for this is a fine start.
4th over Chennai 33-1 (Hussey 15, Du Plessis 16) Target 188McClenaghan, curtains and all, are banished, and Vinay Kumar arrives into the attack. Du Plessis nurdles a single into the off-side, and then Hussey wallops six into the box that we have have to be shown numerous times a game in order to advertise what I believe is a soft drink. Then, after another single, Hussey slices to third man, where Malinga, who’s had a horrible tournament in the field, has bare time to watch it into his hands - but instead splits them as the ball arrives. Oh dear. And this is now a good start.
3rd over Chennai 23-1 (Hussey 8, Du Plessis 13) Target 188 Tight over from Malinga, a dot followed by four singles followed by a dot - but Chennai won’t mind. That’ll be him done until the death, so it’s time to wade in.
2nd over: Chennai 19-1 (Hussey 6, Du Plessis 11) Target 188 In comes McClenaghan, who’s had a good tournament - but he opens with two wides, then a short one on the pads, that Mr Cricket pulls around the corner for four. The bowler is well and truly looked at by his captain, then after a couple back-of-a-length, goes fuller - and Faf meets the bounce, lifting six straight down the ground, then pulling four off his hip. 17 from the over.
1st over: Chennai 2-1 (Hussey 1, Du Plessis 1) Target 188 Du Plessis off the mark first ball, dropping down in front of the stumps, and a misfield at short-fine-leg allows Hussey to break his duck from the final ball.
Gosh, how do you keep that out? Well, Dwayne Smith certainly doesn’t know the answer, trapped in front by a venomous slingshot shin-high yorker - that’s going miles down! You can see the stumps! Smith, on the boundary, indicates displeasure. Richard Ill’worth, dear oh dear.
The players are back out, and Malinga has the ball. Between innings, Simmons pointed out the need to score when it’s hard, given a relatively slow track - will they dare to attack from the off?
That’ll sit fine enough with both sides. Mumbai would’ve lapped this up at the start, but fancied themselves for more given how well they started; Chennai would’ve planned for less, feared more, and will fancy themselves to chase this. Or, put another way, eyes down for a thriller!
20th over: Mumbai 185-5 (Harbhajan 6, Suchith 1)
Bravo goes wide on the off-side, Pollard heaves again, but top-edges, and Raina takes another steepler with expert’s ease.
20th over: Mumbai 185-5 (Pollard 41, Harbhajan 5) Reckoning Harbhajan is running whatever, Bravo has Dhoni taking a glove off to sort any run out, before sending down a leg-side wide. Oh, and there’s an off-side wide next, after which Harbhajan slashes four over point for a one-bounce four; bravo seems to have forgotten that he can bat, as evidenced earlier in the competition. Crivens, there’s another wide, and then Bhaji picks up a yorker which he clips to long-on - Du Plessis runs in, dives forward, and puts down the catch with his fingertips, while Pollard ambles down to the business end. My days, Pollard is something! Bravo fires into the blockhole, so obviously six is flicked flat over long-on!
19th over: Mumbai 171-5 (Pollard 35, Harbhajan 0) Pollard’s on strike - they ran on the wicket, a tad surprisingly - and again, Mohit is wide. Obviously, he’s then punished with a flat six belted over midwicket, while Dhoni approaches the umpire to discuss the extras.
Two balls of the penultimate over left and Pollard at the non-strikers’ - Rayudu has no choice but to go for it, which he does. But a slower one has him through the shot early, spooning to long-on, where Raina takes a very handy tumbling catch.
19th over: Mumbai 164-4 (Pollard 29, Rayudu 10) Back comes Mohit, beginning with a wide, before a single brings Pollard onto strike. Mohit tries a full one, fifth-stump line, eliciting a swing and a miss, and then a slower one is absolutely caned from outside off to wide long-on, Pollard down on one knee and sending it whistling past a fielder barely five yards from it. Spooked, Mohit goes even wider, and even Pollard’s eagleacious wingspan can’t connect - that’s another wide - but he comes back well, extracting a little more bounce that forces a pull to the man at long-on.
18th over: Mumbai 156-4 (Pollard 24, Rayudu 9) Rayudu takes two and one, and with Pollard on strike, Bravo goes around the wicket. Another slower ball is duly despatched, but it’s all the same to yerman, who clouts six insanely higher than the sun over midwicket. He’s glimpsed, he has tasted, fantastical places, his soul’s an oasis. A single follows, and then the rare mistake of a leg-side full-toss allows Rayudu four more, thinly edged behind. 15 from the over, and Mumbai seriously needed that; who though to be saying that twenty minutes ago?
17th over: Mumbai 141-4 (Pollard 17, Rayudu 1) Not quite sure it was wise sending Pandya in ahead of Rayudu, but I guess if he comes off, fine, and if he doesn’t he’ll give it away immediately, as he did. This is superb bowling from Nehra, consistently full and around off-stump, and that’s just two from the over; does Pollard go for Bravo, or try sticking around to make sure requisite hammering occurs a the other end?
First ball of the over, Pandya goes, gets right underneath one and spoons to square-leg, where Jadeja arrives to take easily. Suddenly things have changed.
16th over: Mumbai 139-3 (Pollard 16, Pandya 1) What an over, just four from it - Mumbai will need to get after whoever’s at the other end, because, like everyone else, they’re yet to find a way of combatting Bravo’s consistency.
And there it is! Slower ball, Sharma’s ready for it, comes down, slogs, and is caught anyway - at deep midwicket.
16th over: Mumbai 137-2 (Rohit 19, Pollard 15) On comes Bravo for his three to finish - seam-up slower yorkers, presumably. In commentary, Melanie Jones comments that Pollard is bigger than Matthew Hayden - “I’ll take you out,” comes back the response. My, my, my.
15th over: Mumbai 135-2 (Rohit 18, Pollard 14) Hello Kieron! My days, he’s fairly feathered six over midwicket with absolute minimal, minimum effort. Oh, and then, after a single apiece, six more, tickled over long-on; dread to think the pain he must inflict on himself simply brushing his teeth. 16 off Negi’s over, and time to enjoy some tactical adverts.
14th over: Mumbai 119-2 (Rohit 16, Pollard 0) Two new batsmen at the wicket, good news for Chennai, and there’s Rohit, punishing an enormous six straight down the ground.
Mitigating a quiet start to the over, Simmons slashes at one outside off, that’s headed in Negi’s general direction - but what a catch he produces, haring in from deep cover and taking it around his ankles, on the run.
13th over: Mumbai 110-1 (Simmons 64, Rohit 8) Now Bravo’s broken the partnership, Negi’s allowed back, and starts tidily, before Rohit face-opens four. If Mumbai keep the current rate - 9.6 - they’ll be up around 190. This could be an absolute monster, though almost always, something happens to ensure that that isn’t so.
12th over: Mumbai 101-1 (Simmons 61, Rohit 2) Michael Vaughan appears on Skype, and can’t resist classily noting the cheerleaders. Looks like a quiet over, so Simmons throws everything at its fourth ball, slamming a straight six into the stands, and that’s another decent effort - Mumbai add ten, and it’s about time for them to seriously get after it. Anything beyond 190 would have Chennai asking some taxing questions, like what’s the capital of Tuvalu.
11th over: Mumbai 91-1 (Simmons 53, Rohit 0) Bravo is now the first man in the IPL to achieve 1,000 runs and 100 wickets.
Parthiv flays a straight slower one to long-on, and that’s a simple enough catch. Here comes Rohit.
11th over: Mumbai 90-0 (Simmons 52, Patel 35) Dhoni has no option but to bring Bravo on, and after his first two balls yield three, another Nehra misfield earns him a hunk of mind.
10th over: Mumbai 86-0 (Simmons 51, Patel 32) On comes Mohit, and immediately, Simmons goes, slapping four through cover. Two singles and a dot follow, before Simmons nudges behind square on the on-side to bring up his fifty, Nehra’s misfield turning one into two. Given the state of their hutch, I fancy we might see Mumbai really wave arms now - they’ll want Pollard to have a shy, at the very least.
9th over: Mumbai 78-0 (Simmons 44, Patel 31) Oh dear. Negi’s first ball is revolting, shorter than Short-round, so Parthiv has an aeon to get under it and spank six over midwicket. Then, another short one, but wider, so it’s clattered through cover for four, followed by an inside-edge for four more. Fourth ball, Parthiv goes again, slamming towards long-off, but the bowler dives right and ends up spilling a fiendishly difficult chance for his trouble. Sixteen from the over; this is lovely batting, is this, this is, and Chennai’s lack of a serious strike bowler is telling.
8th over: Mumbai 62-0 (Simmons 43, Patel 16) Jadeja into the attack, and as the only top-order lefty, Parthiv might consider it incumbent upon him to get after him. and he tries right away, charging the first ball only to turn to long-on for one. But Simmons is on a roll, skipping down to force six over cow corner when Jadeja over-pitches.
7th over: Mumbai 53-0 (Simmons 35, Patel 15) Negi into the attack, and it’s a good start, his first over ceding just five singles. Chennai needed that, but not as much as they need a wicket.
6th over: Mumbai 48-0 (Simmons 33, Patel 12) This is a rarity - the two openers both bowling three overs. And it’s not looking altogether wise, when Nehra is too straight, and Parthiv picks him up to flick around the corner, just wide of Bravo at short-fine-leg - he doesn’t dive. Next comes a dot and a single, after which Simmons sees one right into his slot on about fifth-stump, swinging hard and straight to despatch six over long-off; cripes, what a shot that is. Suddenly, it’s Mumbai in the ascendancy, and Chennai are probably pleased when a commercial break timeout is called.
5th over: Mumbai 35-0 (Simmons 25, Patel 7) Ashwin continues, bowling a little slower than sometimes - there’s turn, so he’s making sure to use it. But Simmons has had enough, so after Parthiv takes a single, he permits a dot before making room to shmice six back over the bowler’s head. Then another dot, then a floaty arm ball, so Simmons makes room again, clearing the front leg and hoiking over midwicket for six. More like it from Mumbai.
4th over: Mumbai 22-0 (Simmons 13, Patel 6) And doesn’t Simmons know it, bludgeoning Nehra’s first delivery right at Parthiv, who ducks and sees it speed dahn ve grahnd for four. Then, after two dots, Simmons nurdles away behind square on the leg-side and sprints two - clever work, is that - before Nehra flings down a nipple-high full-toss. Simmons chucks bat at it, and connects - but Dhoni dives - really - to catch, saving the boundary, as no-ball’s called.
3rd over: Mumbai 15-0 (Simmons 7, Patel 6) Patel makes room to knock onto the on-side, picks out a fielder just off the square, and they hurry through for a single anyway. Another handy over, this, just three further ones, and already the pressure will be starting to bite.
2nd over: Mumbai 11-0 (Simmons 5, Patel 4) And in comes the find of the tournament, young Ashish Nehra, finding a bit of shape and movement back into the right-hander. The first ball takes Simmons’ pad as he tries to flick it away, and there’s an appeal, but it’s flying well down. It’s backed up with a dot, and then another - one’s slanting across him, right into the slot, but he drives directly to mid-off, before pulling to the man at short-square-leg. Two wides follow, though, and there’s a further punishment too, the final delivery of the over edged behind to the fence. Still, Chennai will be happy with their start.
1st over: Mumbai 5-0 (Simmons 1, Patel 4) Ashwin opens, and Simmons drives to mid-off for one. Then, after two dots, Parthiv opens the face to edge away for four - but encouragement for bowler too, because that one turned.
“The atmosphere looks superb” says the Sky anchor. Likewise, the colour sounds amazing. And which reminds me of this excellent 60 Minutes on synesthesia.
The pitch is pretty dry and abrasive, says Butcher - so should help, er, everyone. But looks decent in particular for Mumbai’s bowlers, .
Great news! Mark Butcher is still on holiday!
Right then, we’re nearly there. Winner to the final, loser to play the winner of Rajasthan versus Bangalore for a spot in the final.
Is McCullum the longest surname that can be made using the fewest number of letters?
Mumbai are unchanged - Hales isn’t involved - and Chennai bring in Mohit and Hussey for Pandey and McCullum.
Rohit calls tails, tails it is, and Mumbai will bat - looks a good track, runs on the board, all of that. MS would’ve bowled, as on this kind of track, if you bat well, you can chase down a big score.
Here’s Ravi! Everybody in the house say yeah!
Heads or tails? Higher or lower? Red or black? All questions to ask anyone claiming to know what’s going to happen at the Wankhede this evening, because, essentially, they’re all the same thing.
Take an individual sport masquerading as a team game, condense it, allocate players in vaguely egalitarian manner to sustain competition to maintain wealth, make sure that some of those players are the best around, practice the format for a few years, condense the competition, then take the best teams from that competition - and you’ve got Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings. William Goldman famously proclaimed that nobody knows anything, and broadly speaking, he was right, we don’t - but we do know that this is going to be excellent.
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