More than a contest between two well-placed teams in the IPL points table, it was a battle involving two high-profile captains who will share the India dressing room in the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, set to be Team India’s mentor next month, and Virat Kohli provided glimpses of their camaraderie before and after the match but no prizes for guessing who was the better leader on the day. While Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore failed to build on a brilliant start, Dhoni’s inspirational presence guided Chennai Super Kings to their second win on the trot after the restart.
The Super Kings leaped to the top spot with 14 points from nine matches while RCB remain on 10 off nine games. Kohli’s men have to play out of their skins to arrest the slide or else will risk missing out on a play-offs berth.
There was, however, no undermining Kohli’s effort on the field. He dominated the bowling during his 53 off 41 balls (6x4, 1x6) and took a brilliant catch diving forward to send Ruturaj Gaikwad back.
CSK top scorer Ruturaj Gaikwad. Picture courtesy IPL
But the Super Kings were too good. Taking advantage of the short boundaries in Sharjah, they rode roughshod over the RCB attack. Even the departure of Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis off two consecutive overs did little to stop the flow of runs.
Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu did well to maintain the steady flow of runs on the slow wicket in the middle overs. They mostly relied on the singles and the twos while not missing out on the big hits. Both fell to pre-meditated hits off Harshal Patel.
It was then left to the experienced hands of Suresh Raina and Dhoni to steer them to their six-wicket victory with 11 balls remaining. The captain took charge once he found out that Raina was uncomfortable against the short ball of Mohammed Siraj. Raina’s cameo (17 not out off 10 balls) though should go a long way in boosting his confidence.
The Kohli-Devdutt Padikkal opening partnership will remain the talking point despite their loss. After the sandstorm delayed the start by 15 minutes, the pair threatened to put it beyond the Super Kings grasp with some calculated hitting. Kohli was severe on Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur with one six off the latter landing outside the stadium.
But what was more heartening to watch during their 111-run opening partnership was the way Kohli’s confidence rubbed off on the young Padikkal.
The talented lefthander has already put himself in the national selectors’ shortlist because of his technique and temperament and on Friday he showed exemplary maturity.
Padikkal’s clean hitting and daring approach along with Kohli provided the perfect start to the RCB innings. His 70 off 50 balls (5x4, 3x6) stood out despite the presence of more accomplished names in their ranks.
Once Kohli was caught on the boundary ropes, none of the other batsmen managed to build on the momentum. AB de Villiers and Padikkal were dismissed off successive deliveries from Thakur and thereafter the innings just collapsed with only 16 runs coming off the last three overs.
Even the presence of Glenn Maxwell did little to boost their total. The Australian limited-overs specialist has often complained about the lack of clarity on his role in the IPL. The circumstances were stacked in his favour on Friday, yet the lack of intent showed in his approach.
Dwayne Bravo (3/24) struck the crucial blows but it was one Thakur over that inspired the Super Kings to make a comeback who till then were reeling from the Kohli-Padikkal onslaught.
