Power at the start, from Dwayne Smith, and power and luck at the death, from MS Dhoni, helped Chennai to a below-par but defendable total, leading to a one-run victory
Well, that was a lot of fun. Chennai, who for a brief period at the start, looked set to post a monster, put themselves under pressure trying to do exactly that, losing wickets regularly. But Dhoni’s hitting at the death made the total defendable, and excellent bowling and fielding, aided by Delhi’s peculiar decision to send in their two best batsmen at six and seven, allowed them to sneak home. More of this please!
What a finish!
19.5 Morkel goes again, slamming off-side, where, on the fence, Raina reads the bounce and spin beautifully, down low early to dive and snaffle as they run two. Six off the last ball to win!
19.4 Shot! Morkel, who’s looked done for, absolutely massmurders one over wide long-on for six. What a strike!
19.3 Someone needs to clear the fence. It won’t be Imran Tahir! He tries, mowing to deep midwicket, where Raina keeps the heid to dive forward and hang on with extreme competence.
19.2 Single down to mid on.
19.1 Width, again, and Morkel flashes, going hard and flaying down to fine leg for four via chunky edge.
Here comes Bravo...
19th over: Delhi 132-8 (Morkel 56, Tahir 0)Morkel is exhausted, and swings at one down into the off side. They laif through for a single - direct hit, and Morkel’s gone, but McCullum misses. Nehra finishes with 3-25. Delhi need 19 runs from 6 balls.
Nehra sends down a wide, Morkel tries running a bye as well to give himself the strike for the final over, Mishra isn’t paying attention, and that’s gone.
19th over: Delhi 128-7 (Morkel 55, Mishra 4) Mishra plays Nehra down into the off-side, Morkel hares down to the striker’s, Jadeja throws at the stumps - Mishra’s given up - but misses. He might, perhaps, have gone to the gloves in the circumstances. Next, Morkel turns down a single - it’s boundary time - and he forces to midwicket, but they can only muster one. Mishra glances to third man and they take two, and with two balls left, the question is whether or not they make sure Morkel is on strike for the final over.
18th over: Delhi 124-7 (Morkel 54, Mishra 1) The time has come. Delhi need 28 runs from 13 balls.
This is a mighty fine delivery, pushed through quicker and more or less yorker length. Coulter-Nile gets himself into a right old two-and, trying to wallop it away via slog-sweep, misses, and the ball sneaks under the bat and into the wood.
18th over: Delhi 123-6 (Morkel 54, Coulter-Nile 5) Tricky situation for Morkel - he can’t afford to get out, but he needs to find the fence. Ashwin returns, and a dot is followed by a mishit drive to long on - they run two on Bravo, to Dhoni’s consternation. Next, Morkel wiggles hips inside to make sure that one drifting down leg side is given wide followed by a drive to long-on for one.
17th over: Delhi 119-6 (Morkel 51, Coulter-Nile 5) Bravo gives Morkel a little room and he takes more, backing away and knackeredly uppercutting four. Then, Morkel clumps down the ground and Bravo does excellently to block it with his ankle, saving three as they run one. Coulter-Nile adds a single, and then two to Morkel bring up an industrious fifty, the single earned off the final ball not enough to satisfy a run rate that’s almost at ten-and-a-half. This is turning into a thriller: Delhi need 32 runs from 18 balls.
16th over: Delhi 110-6 (Morkel 43, Coulter-Nile 4) Coulter-Nile shmices his first ball, pulled for four, then is beaten outside off. Delhi need 41 runs from 24 balls.
Yes, let’s break to discuss the complex strategies of batting, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the opportunity to advertise tyres or whatever.
Delhi are in a situation here. Duminy goes to run another one down to third man and instead plays on - he’s a little early on it. Chasing a low target, he and Yuvraj at six and seven makes sense-1.
16th over: Delhi 106-5 (Morkel 43, Duminy 5) It’s slightly odd that Duminy, Delhi’s leading scorer last term, sent so many kids in ahead of himself. He takes a single to third man and then Morkel backs away to leg looking to play a big shot, but the ball’s not there for him and he has to be satisfied with one.
15th over: Delhi 102-5 (Morkel 42, Duminy 2) This situation is made for the Delhi captain, not a violent striker of the ball, but more than capable of manoeuvring it into gaps while Morkel plays the big shots. Delhi need 49 runs fomr 30 balls.
The short one does it for Bravo and does for Yuvraj. This time he doesn’t keep his eye on it as he pulls, getting to it late and looping to midwicket. This time, we see a dance.
14th over: Delhi 99-4 (Morkel 41, Yuvraj 9) Again, Bravo begins with a wide, doubtless a boon to Morkel, who’s sweating like a lunatic.
14th over: Delhi 87-4 (Morkel 39, Yuvraj 9) So, can the auction’s most expensive player start justifying his not entirely logical status? He gets a single first up, pushing down the ground, and then, after Morkel pulls one more, ducks under a short one that he keeps the eye on, flipping a pull for two. Next, he glances one fine - that’s lovely timing - to the fence, and plays that duck-and-swat again for two more. Delhi need 54 runs off 36 balls.
And with Mohit’s first ball, there it is! Dearie me, all that effort, and then this - a widish one, patted to point. Byeeee!
14th over: Delhi 87-3 (Morkel 39, Jadhav 20) Seeking a wicket, Dhoni brings Mohit back...
13th over: Delhi 87-3 (Morkel 39, Jadhav 20) Bravo appears into the attack and begins with an off-side wide. Then another wide one that’s short too, flayed to the cover boundary, where it’s intercepted by the sweeper - luckily for Bravo. Chennai need something here, because with two set batsmen, wickets in hand and batting to come, Delhi look confident, if not dominant. Delhi need 64 runs from 42 balls.
12th over: Delhi 82-3 (Morkel 37, Jadhav 18) Single from the first two balls, but Jadhav is right onto Ashwin’s next; it’s not that short, but he judges it perfectly, leaning back to crump it over midwicket and down to the rope. He rotates the strike next, and Morkel steps back to panel through cover and McCullum’s hands - that did not look pleasant.
11th over: Delhi 75-3 (Morkel 35, Jadhav 13) Pandey gives Jadhav width - the pace and bounce are good, but don’t matter in that context - and he makes sure to slap it over backward point for four. Next, a single, and then, after a dot, Morkel takes one from outside off that he forces to midwicket, where there appear to be two men; they run two. Pandey ends the over with a very good ball, locating lift that’s too good for Jadhav’s attempted slash.
10th over: Delhi 67-3 (Morkel 32, Jadhav 8) Ashwin continues, he’s bowling very straight, and Jadhav works him away for two to midwicket, as McCullum contrives to runs the wrong way. Then, after we review a run out attempt - Morkel sets off, returns, is well back - Ashwin gives him some width, and he times it through cover, Nehra unable to, bemused as to how to dive. This eventuates four, and he’s immediately moved. 84 runs needed at a rate of 8.40.
9th over: Delhi 58-3 (Morkel 27, Jadhav 4) Pandey continues, and after Jadhav glides one down to third man, Morkel lets it come on, playing the tardiest of cuts that speeds away for four, again to third man. Two more off the over - this is a fascinating contest, this is, is this, this, so it is. What better way to mark it than with a strategic snaffle of greenbacks?
8th over: Delhi 51-3 (Morkel 22, Jadhav 2) Ashwin into the attack for what could be the key spell - if he attacks and gets wickets, Chennai might win, if he can’t and is milked, Delhi will be favourites. If he’s economical, as you were. Two singles, two dots and a single from the first five balls - will Delhi have the discipline to see him away? Jadhav cuts, they nab one, and that’s an excellent over. 100 needed, 72 balls in which to get them.
7th over: Delhi 47-3 (Morkel 20, Jadhav 0) Pandey’s first ball is very wide indeed, and Morkel is having none of it, stretching to send what’s not quite an edge hurtling to the third man fence for four. Then, after two dots, he forces a cramped pull from leg and they sprint through for two, before one bumped down the ground gets one more.
6th over: Delhi 40-3 (Morkel 13, Jadhav 0) The required run rate is only 7.8 - there’s no need for over-excitement. But Sharma is turning the screw, just one run ceded from his first five balls - a squirted mow from Morkel that he had no need to play - and then Jadhav takes a wild swing at the final delivery, doing well to miss.
Iyer goes over the top again, but doesn’t middle it. The ball goes high, and Du Plessis misjudges its flight at extra cover, taking what becomes an excellent catch falling backwards. Iyer had no need to do that, and Nehra has 3-17!
5th over: Delhi 39-2 (Morkel 12, Iyer 7) Iyer does not seem at all fazed. First ball of the over, he lifts above cover, and though McCullum chases hard, his dive can only push it beyond the rope.
4th over: Delhi 33-2 (Morkel 11, Iyer 2) Iyer is a serious prospect, we’re told, and he and Morkel each add a single before Morkel rides an attempted bouncer to pull hard through midwicket for four. Next ball, he opens the face and pushes through a wide one - it’s going to the fence, until Jadeja hurls himself in its road at point, saving three. Very nice. But then, a single and wide follow, Morkel punishing the extra ball by easing it through extra cover - that’s lovely - and Du Plessis, though he chases and flings himself hard, can’t prevent the boundary. Morkel has never batted this high in this competition - perhaps he’s doing so because given the relatively small target, he’s time to play himself in, after which, if he gets going, it’s trouble for Chennai.
Agarwal slashes outside off as the left-arm delivery slants across him and edges an easy chance to Dhoni. Excellent over from Nehra, two wickets in it.
3rd over: Delhi 20-1 (Agarwal 15, Morkel 1) Morkel gets off the mark by turning one to leg, and then one sits up for Agarwal, who plants his front foot, stands up, and canes it through cover for four.
This is a bit of a lame way to get gone - Gautam comes down the track and makes room for a drive that’s not there. He drives directly into Bravo’s hands at mid-on, silly behaviours, and Nehra sends him off with a kiss.
3rd over: Delhi 15-0 (Agarwal 11, Gautam 4) Gautam goes aerially and down the ground, not getting all of it, but not chancing a catch either - they run two. Next, he sidles well over to off, Nehra follows him, he tries some kind of reverse glance, and directs it into his midriff.
2nd over: Delhi 13-0 (Agarwal 11, Gautam 2) In comes Mohit, and Gautam squirts him to long leg for a single, then Agarwal cuts just wide of Raina at backward-point. They run one, and Gautam responds in kind, before Agarwal makes room to loft one over cover, first clearing his front leg and then fence.
1st over: Delhi 4-0 (Agarwal 4, Gautam 0) It’ll be interesting to see how Delhi’s unheralded top three co-ordinate this chase - do they go mad looking for a flyer, constructing a platform for the big names, or determine to steadily accumulate, given that’s all that’s necessary. After three dots, Agarwal clips four through midwicket, walking down and despatching confidently, the only scoring shot of the over.
Right, here comes Nehra.
So, Delhi’s decision to bowl was the correct one - Chennai got themselves into trouble going for a biggie, and now they have as eminently chaseable a target as their hearts could possibly desire on a belter of a track.
Mohit takes two from his first and the innings’ final ball, and that’s a superb bowling effort from Delhi.
Dhoni goes again, but this one gets big on him and he can’t pull it, sending it looping with the bat in front of his face to mid-off, where Agarwal keeps his eye on it to take well. In the meantime, they run two.
20th over: Chennai 148-6 (Dhoni 30, Ashwin 12) Coulter-Nile has delivered 13 dots from 18 balls bowled so far, and he’ll like the single Dhoni takes from his 19th. A yorker then forces Ashwin to turn down the ground for one - Coulter-Nile almost does that Devon Malcolm thing of hopping to the left of the crease in the delivery stride - and then Dhoni tries a pull that he top edges for six over point! Next, he plays a one-handed, bottom-handed smash over long-on for six!
19th over: Chennai 134-6 (Dhoni 17, Ashwin 11) MS has got himself a semi-serious set of sideboards here, and he takes a single to Tahir down the ground, before Ashwin knocks two leg, then two more with a leg break lofted over cover. We learn that Chennai are “winning the Twitter battle”, whatever that is, and then two singles and a two make it nine from the over; whatever happens next, Delhi really ought to win from here.
18th over: Chennai 125-6 (Dhoni 15, Ashwin 4) Coulter-Nile returns with four dots to Dhoni, who can’t really afford to get out and leave these crucial balls to the tail. Then a delivery on leg allows them to amble a leg-bye,before Ashwin times a paddle that races to the fence at point - they needed that.
17th over: Chennai 120-6 (Dhoni 15, Ashwin 0) Ashwin defends his first two balls, and that is a brilliant over from a chap playing his first IPL game.
Bravo’s sitting back, Joseph finds bounce, it raps the pad, and the umpire takes his time before raising the finger.
17th over: Chennai 120-5 (Dhoni 15, Bravo 1) Joseph returns, and he’s found himself; perhaps he popped down to Goa and bought some tie-dye and diet pills at the end of his last spell. His first two balls are full and taxing, then they sneak a single - had Yuvraj hit when he shied, Bravo was done...
16th over: Chennai 119-5 (Dhoni 14, Bravo 1) This is very excellent from Mishra, such easy control and testing turn. Singles and dots alternate, and Chennai are in a situation.
There will now be some adverts, while we all ponder the intricacies of the tactics of harvesting benjamins.
Jadeja comes down the track, Mishra sees him, drops short, he’s through the shot in time to have a cuppa prior to missing it, he misses it, and Guatam has time for a tasting menu before whipping off the bails.
16th over: Chennai 117-4 (Jadeja 17, Dhoni 13) Mishra on, and Chenai really need to go. They try.
15th over: Chennai 116-4 (Jadeja 17, Dhoni 12) Tahir back with his Graham Dilley run, the most noteworthy moment of the over when the batters turns one into two. Or, in other words, well bowled, sir.
14th over: Chennai 111-4 (Jadeja 16, Dhoni 8) Morkel returns to sneak in an over, and Jadeja goes to hammer over long-off, instead slicing behind for one. Morkel then drops short and Dhoni tucks in, caning four through midwicket via pull, but the bowler comes back well, ceding just one from the remaining two deliveries.
13th over: Chennai 105-4 (Jadeja 15, Dhoni 3) Jadeja and Dhoni alternate singles, then Dhoni nabs two from the final ball; if Chennai are going to post a suitable target, one of these two will have to bat to, or close to the end.
Perhaps Faf gives himself plenty of room, but Duminy bowls it straighter so that he can’t quite punish it as intended. Iyer waits patiently on the fence and plants his feet to take a decent catch, given his proximity to the rope.
13th over: Chennai 100-3 (Du Plessis 32, Jadeja 13) Du Plessis makes room, cracking Duminy over cover for four. And he tries it again from the second ball...
12th over: Chennai 96-3 (Du Plessis 28, Jadeja 13) Of this Jadeja has had enough, and he twinkles down the track to the pitch to smash a leg break down the ground for six. Then, after a single, Mishra draws Faf down the track with his length, hurrying a slider past his outside edge - lovely ball.
11th over: Chennai 88-3 (Du Plessis 27, Jadeja 6) Duminy brings himself on - perhaps he wants to rush through an over or two while Jadeja settles, because Tahir was bowling well.After a wide, Jadeja tries to cart a shorter one over midwicket, but doesn’t get all of it, and they run one, before another loose one, a half-volley for which Du Plessis has to stretch, and he gets it away for one that he turns into two Another decent over - the run rate is now only 8.
10th over: Chennai 82-3 (Du Plessis 23, Jadeja 5) Du Plessis is determined to push the runs here, manufacturing a two after turning away into the leg side - and well he might, because the boundaries have dried up for now.
9th over: Chennai 78-3 (Du Plessis 20, Jadeja 4) Jadeja comes in earlier than expected - perhaps his left-handedness is desired with a leggy at either end. Du Plessis then crafts two down to long on, and then one more to leg - he wants another, but it’s not there for him, and then Jadeja outside-edges the inevitable googly, just wide of slip and away for an account-opening four.
A commercially strategic break. In the middle of an over.
Likely mindful of the tidy previous over, Smith takes an almighty heave at a short one from Tahir, clattering it hard, but straight to the man on the midwicket fence. Big wicket, but ridiculous batting to come.
8th over: Chennai 71-2 (Smith 34, Du Plessis 17) Duminy tries Mishra, and he’s tidy enough to begin with. But, so far, Chennai are managing runs off most balls and a boundary an over - but, not this one, just six from it.
7th over: Chennai 65-2 (Smith 32, Du Plessis 13) Here comes Tahir, and he’s there immediately, flat and straight. This is more like it from Delhi, two ones and a dot, so Smith takes a definitive stride and canes Tahir back over his heid for a one bounce four. Run rate of 9.2 so far; Delhi should be experiencing anxiety.
6th over: Chennai 59-2 (Smith 27, Du Plessis 12) Morkel, who looks like his brother but less like Biff than his brother, returns. Smith takes a single, then Faf rocks back and rocks tall before leaping at the last second towards leg, timing a beauty through cover. Next, another single, then Smith seizes onto a short one - Morkel isn’t really quick enough - and it’s slammed to square-leg, but the sweeper is swift enough to cut off the boundary. A wide follows, and then Du Plessis hits over cover - the ball plugs just shy of the boundary, and they nash through for two.
5th over: Chennai 49-2 (Smith 25, Du Plessis 5) Joseph is permitted to continue, and after two singles from the first three deliveries, Smith has had enough, gently pressing forward and battering a half-tracker over short midwicket for four via short-arm pull. And then, after a single, Faf nips down the pitch and times an inside-out Boris Becker forehand over cover for four more.
Given the quality of this pitch, Chennai are wasting no time getting after it, but Coulter-Nile is bowling very well. So, Raina steps to leg, making room to lash through cover, the ball gets big on him, he misses, and it nails his leg peg. Over.
4th over: Chennai 38-1 (Smith 19, Raina 4) The primrose yellow pads and hot red spikes are doing nuttin for Dwayne Smith’s swag; luckily, he’s quite good at the cricket. Raina takes a single from the first ball, then a bye, and then Coulter-Nile has Smith jumping and folding to get on top of one that bounces - it’s not obvious what shot he’s playing, and when he doesn’t connect there are confident appeals for a caught behind, promptly rejected.
3rd over: Chennai 36-1 (Smith 19, Raina 3) Joseph replaces Morkel, but his bowlers could use a ruler - the line is leg-side again, and yields four more leg-byes when it clips the pad. He improves immediately, though, hurrying two through, fuller and at fourth stump, but then a shorter one bounces deliciously, and Smith tucks in, murdering it over short midwicket to the fence.
2nd over: Chennai 26-1 (Smith 13, Raina 3) No ball follows the wicket, and the free hit is caught in pretty much the same circumstances that did for McCullum; they run one. Next, a three to leg that gets Raina underway, a leg-bye, and a dot; good over.
Good bowling this, Coulter-Nile hurries McCullum who’s in nee position to play the front foot pull he attempts. It shoots up high, and Yuvraj runs towards the boundary from slip, catching easily. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Raina is now in.
2nd over: Chennai 20-0 (Smith 12, McCullum 4) Coulter-Nile into McCullum, just back of a length and on leg. McCullum swings, obviously, edges into his pad and it bursts through Yuvraj’s hands then races behind for four.
1st over: Chennai 16-0 (Smith 12, McCullum 0) Morkel starts well, but his second ball is precisely where Smith would’ve put it, full, fifth-stump line. He doesn’t miss out, rapidly into position to crunch it through the covers. And oh dear, the next delivery is leg-side, and tickles the pad afore racing away for byes to the fence, then a drive that has McCullum hopping as it screams away to long-on. My days, Smith has suddenly found form - this one bounces higher, so he’s up and on top of it to cream into the track and over cover. Three fours and four leg-byes there, dots to start and finish.
Morkel will open the bowling...
Here come Smith and McCullum.
Songs with devil in them:
State of that Chennai batting line-up, dearie me. And yet, the World Cup - 50 overs, yes, but profoundly influenced by the T20 format - was won by the side with the best attack.
Your Chennais: McCullum, Smith, Raina, Du Plessis, Bravo, Jadeja, Dhoni, Ashwin, Sharma, Pandey, Nehra.
Your Delhis: Agarwal, Gautam, Iyer, Duminy, Yuvraj, Morkel, Jadhav, Coulter-Nile, Mishra, Joseph, Tahir
Seems that Angelo Mathews hasn’t travelled - Sri Lankan players aren’t playing in Chennai for political reasons. Teams with you presently.
On the subject of cool sportsmen, here’s a piece on exactly that, featuring, amongst others, yerman MS.
Of course, bowling first gives you the opportunity to see what a decent total is - Mumbai got that wrong yesterday.
Dhoni says it’s tricky to remember all the names at the start of the competition, but his overseas players are McCullum, Smith, Bravo and Faf.
It’s time for the toss, so naturally, Rameez Raja is hyping the crowd. JP Duminy calls heads, it’s heads, and Delhi will bowl - he wants to get into things, apparently.
Were the IPL decided on the various iterations of cool, it’d be hard to look beyond Chennai. MS Dhoni, Stephen Fleming, Brendon McCullum, Michael Hussey, Dwayne Bravo; phew, I’m off for a cold shower and a lie down.
Were the IPL decided on the various iterations of cricketing ability - not unrelated to cool - it’d be tempting not to look beyond Chennai. But the beauty of a closed shop and lots of money - yes, there is one, because there’s also lots of talent and the game is short - is that everyone can beat everyone. It would be entirely unsurprising if Delhi won today and Chennai finished outside the top positions - which, in significant aspect, is why we’re watching.
Daniel will be here shortly.
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