Delhi derails Deccan's victory march

Tournament favourites Delhi Daredevils turned in a thoroughly professional performance in the clash of the heavyweights at SuperSport Park, handing Deccan Chargers their first defeat of the tournament. Tillakaratne Dilshan yet again proved why he's worth the bucks with an unbeaten fifty to steer his team to the target of 149 and he was supported by Dinesh Karthik, who finally realized his potential with the bat after a disappointing season last year. Delhi rocked the boat by pegging back Deccan's top order and after a relatively minor wobble of their own, got home with more than an over to spare.

A mid-innings assault by Dwayne Smith was the difference between a poor start and a par score of 148 for 9 for the Deccan Chargers against the Delhi Daredevils at SuperSport Park. The strategic time-out after ten overs has often worked against the batting team in this tournament but for a change the reverse happened. Deccan looked out of sorts at 55 for 4 with the Delhi spinners bowling in tandem before Smith ransacked them with 48 off 28 balls. Delhi did well to restrict them under 150 and would have been the more satisfied outfit at the break.

Deccan's in-form top-order batsman have helped the side fasten its grip on the points table but they let themselves down. At 19 for 2, Deccan had recorded their worst start in the IPL and the mantle of building the innings was left to the middle order.

Adam Gilchrist began the innings in earnest with a thundering loft and a drive past point off Dirk Nannes but the bowler quickly had his revenge, getting him to mis-hit a pull in the first over. He managed a lot of nip and bounce at raw pace, and the shorter deliveries just zipped past the outside edge. He dropped a fuller one to Herschelle Gibbs and that fetched him a wicket as Gibbs chipped one tamely to mid-off.

Rohit Sharma looked comfortable against the seamers, swiveling and pulling Pradeep Sangwan and when spin was introduced in the seventh over, he looked like he would get on top of it as well. Amit Mishra dropped it a bit short, looking for spin and curbing Rohit's charge and he had the last laugh when Rohit sliced a top spinner to deep extra cover. Azharuddin Bilakhia, who added 33 with Rohit, was then trapped in front of a straighter one from Daniel Vettori and Deccan were in desperate need of a partnership.

Smith took little time to settle and seemed determined to ruin the spinners' figures. Vettori was the first to suffer when Smith picked him for three successive fours. He swept him hard, benefited off a misfiled by Ashish Nehra at deep point and then pulled to square leg. Even Mishra wasn't spared as Smith pulled him flat over deep square-leg and then lofted over long-on for consecutive sixes.

Curiously, another spinner, Tillakaratne Dilshan, was brought on to replace Vettori and there was no respite for him either. Smith's confidence rubbed off on T Suman, the IPL debutant, who cracked a four and a six over the off side to strengthen Deccan's recovery. Deccan scored 51 off three overs and the balance had shifted.

Smith regularly made room to hit the seamers with powerful bottom-hand shots but ultimately fell to an inside-out loft over the covers off Nehra. Venugopal Rao made a breezy 16 and even though Deccan's total was not exactly a safe score, it was reasonable given the position after 10 overs.

Kings XI wins the humdinger

Piyush Chawla stood out of the crowd and put his hand up when it mattered most and ensured that Kings XI Punjab squeezed out a three-run victory over Mumbai Indians in a low-scoring DLF Indian Premier League game on a testing track at Kingsmead here on Wednesday night. Not one fan stirred from the seat in those heady moments.

With Mumbai Indians 19 runs short of the 120-run target, Chawla stepped up to the KXIP acting captain Kumar Sangakkara and volunteered to bowl the penultimate over. "He had the confidence and there was no way I was going to not go with him," Sangakkara said of the little leg-spinner.

Chawla claimed Harbhajan Singh's wicket with the first ball, forcing the Mumbai Indians batsman to drive a catch to long-off and then conceded just seven runs off the next five deliveries to let the cool customer Yusuf Abdulla the cushion of bowling the final over with 12 runs behind him. Like Irfan Pathan before him, the leg-spinner had done his bit for the team.

It was now upto Abdulla to stop Mumbai Indians left-hander JP Duminy, playing the anchoring role, from taking his team to victory. Abdulla frustrated Duminy and got him to strike a catch to the man on the deep mid-wicket fence and KXIP secured their third win in five games to rise to the second place in the table behind Deccan Chargers.

For the second time in the tournament so far, Kings XI Punjab bowlers came out believing that they could defend the small total their batsman had put up. Mumbai Indians needed a good start but were shocked when Sanath Jayasuriya (0) and Sachin Tendulkar (1) were sent to the dug out by Irfan Pathan and Vikramjeet Singh Malik in the opening overs with the new ball.

Boundary hits were at a premium on Wednesday night. Kings XI Punjab struck four fours and two sixes as they mustered 119 for eight in 20 overs, riding on a steady 45 not out by the technically sound Sangakkara. Mumbai Indians managed seven fours and a six, with only Duminy (59), Dwayne Bravo (15) and Abhishek Nayar (15) reaching double figures.

Last week in Cape Town, Kings XI had made 139 for six and then succeeded in restricting Rajasthan Royals to 112 for seven. In the absence of Brett Lee and S Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan and local hero Yusuf Abdulla stepped up the plate and have done brilliantly for the squad. Chawla's keen leg-spin has made the attack a lot more potent than many were ready to concede.

Royal Challengers won but it wasn't an inspiring one

The game ended in the last over but it didn't have to come to that. The target wasn't huge but Bangalore stumbled after a good start and the match hurtled towards a somewhat artificially created close finish. Bangalore may see this win as a turning point - it lifted them off the bottom of the table - but the result can't paper over the obvious flaws in the way they play.

Most important, perhaps, and what almost cost them this match, is the batsmen's shot selection. They needed 75 off 60 - with all wickets intact - when things went awry. The plan must have been for young Shreevats Goswami to go after the bowling while Jacques Kallis stayed till the end. Goswami, who'd done a fine job despite struggling with Ishant Sharma's bounce, fell to a slog sweep and Kallis the next over fell to a mistimed pull.

Kevin Pietersen and Virat Kohli tried to steady the chase and when Kohli hit Brad Hodge for a six, they needed a very gettable 34 off 27. Kohli then did what his coach despairs about: he tried a cute dab to third man but ended up edging it behind. In so doing, he underlined Jennings' opinion of him. "Kohli sometimes thinks he is better than the game," Jennings had said. "He is a very talented kid but needs to understand he has to put in performances on the field."

Bangalore still had their skipper, Pietersen, in the middle. It was his chance to finish the tournament on a high before leaving for England. He'd done the hard stuff: earned his teammates' trust, taken them out for dinner meetings and even learned a smattering of Hindi. And, earlier today, even taken a wicket off the first ball of the match. Everything but scoring runs. His dismissals have usually been tame and, worse, robbed his team of momentum. Today, the pressure told on him. A gently flighted delivery from Hodge, Pietersen tried a chip stroke but could only push it weakly to long-on.

At that stage they needed 33 from 24 and had six wickets in hand, but Bangalore weren't done. After a brief period of stability, Roelof Van der Merwe went for a wild slog but edged it to the keeper (debutant Morne van Wyk's fourth catch of the innings, which itself tells a tale). It was left to Mark Boucher to hold his nerve and steer them through with a ball to spare.

The batting - especially of Pietersen and Kallis - seemed to confirm Jennings' theory. "Our international cricketers are letting the team down. They have not produced the goods. To me they should be our leaders in runs and wickets. But here we have a situation where Dravid has been streets ahead of them all. He will be back with us in a few days so I looking forward to having him in the side again."

If this win does mark a turning point for Bangalore, it will be a reward for the effort they have put in, something that has pleased their famously tough coach. On Tuesday they had two practice games, morning and afternoon. They've cut down on the partying.

The final word, though, to Kolkata Knight Riders, the new occupants of the foot of the table. At the end of the game, a distraught captain Brendon McCullum was frank in his assessment of his team - nothing was going right for the team, he said. However, he did show he had his wits about him. As the press conference ended, someone handed him an envelope; he peered into it, saying, "Any ideas in there for us?"

He can take a leaf out of Jennings' book. There are ideas and theories galore there.

Royals stuns Delhi

Yusuf Pathan's immense self-belief couple with Graeme Smith's tenacity took Rajasthan Royals to a stunning five-wicket victory over Delhi Daredevils in a low-scoring in the DLF Indian Premier League on Tuesday. Pathan's clean hitting and Smith's steady innings ensured a win Rajasthan Royals which rose to the fourth spot with five points.

Walking in to bat at 64 for five in the 11 over - and with 80 runs needed for the victory - Pathan hit six sixes and three fours in making an unbeaten 62 off 30 deliveries to take the side home and dry with as many as nine deliveries left. Smith was left unbeaten on 44 off 46 balls (five fours), enjoying Pathan's aggression from some 20 yards away during the 83-run stand.

"It was my day. I was able to hit the ball well," Pathan said after collecting his man of the match award that nobody could ever grudge. "But you have to give credit to Graeme Smith for his innings, too."

Of course, Smith held the innings together even as Delhi Daredevils bowlers, led by Amit Mishra clawed their way back into the game after the team had made just 143 for seven in 20 overs. Mishra took three wickets in his first three overs and was instrumental in running out Swapnil Asnodkar with a direct hit to peg Rajasthan Royals back.

Pathan struck Daniel Vettori for three sixes and 27 balls off the eight deliveries he faced from the seasoned left-arm spinner and when Mishra came back for his fourth over, the gangling batsman responded with a six and a four to turn the match on its head. Pathan's clinical strikes first left rival captain Virender Sehwag chewing his fingernails -- and then smiling in awe.

Earlier, despite a half-century by AB de Villiers Delhi Daredevils never really recovered from the early departures of Gautam Gambhir - who failed yet again and now has just 39 runs this IPL season - and Sehwag. Both were prised out by Dmitri Mascarenhas and Tillakaratne Dilshan's rare failure hurt the side when Rajasthan Royals bowled with passion and much purpose

Sanath & Sachin night-mare for Knight Riders

Many a time over the last 15 years or so fans of this great game have wondered what it would be like if Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya opened together in a limited-overs game and really turned it on. Today they got a glimpse.

The two masters of the limited-overs game, with a combined age of nearly 76, treated Port Elizabeth to the cleanest, purest exhibition of batting that this season of the IPL has seen. Tendulkar paved the way with a sublime innings and Jayasuriya followed suit with an explosive hand, the veteran pair combining to raise a century stand in 52 balls that flummoxed Kolkata Knight Riders. That stunning opening assault formed the crux of Mumbai Indians' 187 and though Kolkata restricted the damage with six wickets for 48 runs after the tactical break, the damage had been done. Their only realistic chance at victory rested on their explosive openers' shoulders but once they were gone inside three overs the chase was basically kaput.

Mumbai's first five overs were busy, without being spectacular. Tendulkar was beaten a couple times by Ishant Sharma but upper-cut a six and flicked a four in Ashok Dinda's first over. That set the tone for a busy innings, taken up a level when he pulled Ishant for six from outside off stump.

While Tendulkar whisked the ball off his pads and slapped through point, Jayasuriya didn't get much strike. His first shot in anger was a chip just over extra cover's fingertips and a signature clip to fine leg followed. Mumbai were 45 for 0 in five overs. What followed was carnage.

Jayasuriya, who was on 8 as Tendulkar scurried to 30, launched Sourav Ganguly's gentle military-medium stuff for consecutive sixes; Tendulkar swept Ajantha Mendis for six; Chris Gayle went for ten in six balls; Mendis was dumped for two sixes by each batsman in his second over. Tendulkar's fourth six, a deft pick-up over midwicket off Mendis, raised his fifty from 34 balls. Jayasuriya had blasted 33 from 13 balls. The 100 was up in 8.4 overs. When the tactical break was taken Tendulkar was 60 off 39 and Jayasuriya 43 off 21, Mumbai 111 for 0.

For a man who has only played one international Twenty20, Tendulkar batted with amazing fluency. He got the wrists into play superbly, pulling and cutting hard, and used his crease to negotiate the pacers. Mendis wasn't even allowed to settle; Gayle was effortlessly reverse-swept.

There were no crude shots, no cross-batted slogs from Tendulkar and Jayasuriya. This was clinical hitting - each veteran knew the field and backed himself to pick the gaps. It was the experience of 1138 combined international games coming together in a mesmerizing mosaic of boundaries. In between clearing his front leg to lift Mendis there were clever late dabs from Tendulkar, neat tickles from Jayasuriya.

That assault was in stark contrast to the second half of Mumbai's innings, when Kolkata regrouped. The scoring slowed after the break and Tendulkar fell to Laxmi Shukla, looking to take the ball from off stump and work it to leg. Harbhajan Singh strode in, clubbed 18 from 8 balls, and sent a full toss to deep midwicket. Jayasuriya looked for width but instead chipped to cover for 52 from 32 balls. Then Abhishek Nayar was run out, Dwayne Bravo top-edged to the deep, and Shikhar Dhawan edged Ishant. Gayle bowled a decent last over and Mumbai were unable to end on with a flurry.

Kolkata needed almost 9.5 runs an over inside a stadium rumbling like a Jay Z amplifier, and the pressure of chasing a large total under lights affected the Kolkata openers early in their innings. Brendon McCullum shouldered arms to his first ball before he steered Lasith Malinga to point. Gayle thumped Bravo for the 150th six in the IPL only to edge his West Indian team-mate to slip.

Sourav Ganguly wasn't allowed to come onto the front foot and so he used his feet to loft Bravo down the ground for six and four, and with that try for some momentum. But Ganguly struggled to find the boundaries thereafter and Brad Hodge never really threatened with 24 off 22 balls. Both were to fall against the tidy seam-up bowling of Nayar in successive overs, the last nail firmly hammered into Kolkata's coffin.

Nayar, Bravo, Zaheer Khan and Malinga didn't have to do much but keep it near the stumps and wait for an urgent shot. Each struck rather easily and the rest of the batting card made for disappointing reading as Kolkata fell short by 92 runs. From 71 for 3 when Hodge fell, Kolkata folded for 95 in 15.2 overs.

A powerful batting display was followed by an efficient, shining effort in the field, aptly demonstrating that Mumbai pretty much have all the bases covered.

Chennai learns from Bangalore how to lose games

Deccan Chargers sustained their winning run with a six-wicket victory against last year's finalists Chennai Super Kings in a gripping game that went down to the final over at Kingsmead here on Monday. With four victories from as many games, Deccan Chargers took top spot in the table while Chennai Super Kings stays with three points from five games.

Aware that he had made a mistake in under-bowling Pragyan Ojha, Adam Gilchrist launched a stunning assaul on the Chennai Super Kings as if to make up for that. He made 44 off 19 balls (five fours, three sixes) and set his team on the way, creating a platform for the patient Herschelle Gibbs to steer the side home with three balls to spare. Gibbs responded with an unbeaten 69 not out (56 balls, six fours, two sixes) that won him the man of the match award. But more importantly, his knock held the innings from coming unstuck against some crafty bowling by Suresh Raina and Muttiah Muralitharan who finished with combined figures of three wickets for 35 runs in eight overs. There was a rash of wickets with VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma and Dwayne Smith following Gilchrist to the pavilion but Gibbs stayed calm through the crisis and stuck a six off the first ball of L Balaji's final over to ensure the team would get home and dry.

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni was left with few options after Manpreet Singh Gony and Joginder Sharma together conceded 34 runs in one over each. He was left hoping for some firepower upfront to stop Deccan Chargers, who themselves had Fidel Edwards in top form.

He was also left wondering why his team was unable to build on the 64-run stand that Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina strung together after Parthiv Patel's dismissal to the second ball of the match. He could zero in on himself as one of those who could have got the team to a bigger score. Pragyan Ojha scalped him and Hayden in one over to pull his side back into the game.

Gilchrist admitted he got his calculations wrong, allowing his best bowler Pragyan Ojha just two overs and pulling him out of the attack when Jacob Oram and Albie Morkel were at the crease. That allowed Chennai Super Kings to pick up 20 runs off young fast bowler SM Shoaib to lift their score to 168 off 20 overs and give their bowlers something to bowl with.

Irfan with Sanga and Abdulla take care of Royals

The role of an all-rounder in the shortest format of the game becomes most crucial considering the contributions they can make. India's been searching for someone from this ilk and the choice has always narrowed down to one man, Irfan Pathan. The left-handed all-rounder has been an enigma throughout his career as he has had as many lows as highs.

Sunday was a good way to remind his detractors that he is very much around. He came in at a time when Kings XI Punjab were struggling at 48 for four against Rajasthan Royals in the DLF Indian Premier League here. The situation demanded a major repair job. Kumar Sangakkara was the last of the recognised batsmen at the crease.

Irfan Pathan then teamed up with Sangakkara to haul Kings XI out of a hole. The two added 75 runs for the fifth wicket and helped Sangakkara shore up the struggling batting effort.

Irfan got the ball to swing. The delivery with which he got Smith was a cracking delivery. I think it's come out really well for Kings XI Punjab. They had to come out aggressively. They did that, they picked up a lot of wickets.

Irfan Pathan has been one player who has really struggled to make the cut from the Twenty20 format to the other forms of cricket, Tests and ODIs. There have been various theories propounded for that. A lot has been said about his inability to swing the ball, his lack of ability to be a penetrative bowler at the next level. It has always been a case of Irfan never living upto his potential in the other formats.

I think it's a case in Twenty20 that you have to just bowl four overs. And if you have to bat, you have to bat 10 overs. In the longer version of the game you need to have more variety, for him to be consistent performer and make it to the Test side again he will have to be able to that job of a third seamer which means bowl long spells, swing the ball and be able to pick up the wickets," .

But the most talked about contest of the day was the tussle between Irfan Pathan and his elder brother Yusuf. "It's like a typical brother story where they would have played a lot of street cricket with one other. They would have bowled a lot against one other and been extremely competitive," .

First up Irfan Pathan took 14 runs off Yusuf Pathan in just nine balls. He struck a six as well off Yusuf. Then Yusuf came out to bat, Irfan Pathan was ready to bowl to him. Yusuf Pathan picked eight runs off seven balls, including two fours. But the contest was short-lived.

Royal Challengers hopes dashed by Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils joined Deccan Chargers at the top of the DLF Indian Premier League with six points after they scored their third successive victory, a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore with four deliveries to space in a low-scoring but fiercely competitive at the St George’s Park here on Sunday.

In the end, Delhi Daredevils was relieved that it has the seasoned and determined Tillekeratne Dilshan to man the chase of 150 runs with an unbeaten 67 (47 balls, five fours, two sixes) and the experience of Mithun Manhas who bustled his way to a quick 23 not out after RCB paceman Pankaj Singh sent Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir packing inside six overs.

On a day when paceman Praveen Kumar was unavailable with an ankle problem, Royal Challengers Bangalore would have liked Anil Kumble to be among the wickets but Delhi Daredevils played him out with care. Jacques Kallis had a miserable day out, conceding 37 runs in three overs after being bowled first ball of the match by Dirk Nannes. Royal Challengers Bangalore had as many as four batsmen getting off to starts, Kevin Pietersen leading the way with 37. But none of them was able to play an innings of substance as leg-spinner Amit Mishra (coming in for paceman Avishkar Salvi) stifled the middle-order with purposeful and attacking bowling.

Playing his first game of the seaeon, Mishra finished with one for 19 in his four overs and stole the thunder from the vastly experienced left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori. It showed Delhi Daredevils’ decision to play both frontline spinners was indeed the right one – and not just because the team had been fined for slow-over rate in its previous game.

Ojha spins Chargers to victory

One might say Mumbai Indians lost a match they had in the bag. But then it is important to remember that since winning their first game convincingly on April 18, they had not played a game, suffering a washout against Rajasthan Royals when the momentum was really with them.

On the contrary, Deccan Chargers won both their games and charged up under Adam Gilchrist, much the same way Sachin Tendulkar’s presence from game one has buoyed Mumbai Indians. Interestingly, the similarity did not end there. Look at some of the match-ups between the two teams and you will be surprised.

Sachin-Gibbs, Jayasuriya-Gilchrist, Bravo-Dwayne Smith, Abhishek Nayar-Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan-RP Singh, Lasith Malinga-Fidel Edwards, Harbhajan Singh-Pragyan Ojha, Shikhar Dhawan-Ravi Teja.

The bowling department was one area that Mumbai Indians had the edge. Both had five regular bowlers but if you look at the bowlers from both sides you will know what I exactly mean. In fact, Scott Styris was Deccan Chargers’ most successful bowler with five wickets from two games. He was, however, out of the XI and that made their bowling weaker.

It is too early to judge the two teams but Deccan Chargers must be a happy side with their three main batsmen – Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma -- finding form early on in the tournament. For Mumbai Indians, Jayasuriya has yet to strike form. The wait was also on for JP Duminy to exploit the advantage of playing at home. If you look closely, both teams did well in the opening 10 overs of their respective innings. It was only in the latter half of their innings that they faltered. Just that Mumbai Indians fared worse than the Deccan Chargers. Also Deccan Chargers had the advantage of winning the toss and batting first.

It would be unfair to say that it made the difference in the end but the chase weighed heavily on the Mumbai Indians. It was a good toss to win on a good batting wicket – there was not much movement in the air – that was very slightly on the slower side but on a ground that had a fast outfield, it was a distinct advantage.

Deccan Chargers could have put a good total on the board given the conditions. After all, most games in the IPL have been won batting first and most games that have been won chasing have been thanks largely to the D-L method.

Gilchrist and Gibbs gave the best possible start to the innings getting 63 in 6.4 overs. They batted in contrasting styles. Gilchrist was playing from the crease and hitting the ball straight over the bowlers’ head. When the ball was full, he was guiding it past point to the third man region. Gibbs was stepping out to drive the ball, revealing the fact that it was a pitch slightly on the slower side.

After Gilchrist’s departure, Gibbs guided the innings beautifully with Dwayne Smith. There was no drop in momentum as Gibbs and Smith scored 25 runs of the next 20 balls with Smith getting 20 of those. Their partnership of 61 had set the platform for a final assault. Had Gibbs or Rohit Sharma stayed on a bit longer, Deccan Chargers would have scored in excess of 180. In fact, after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal only two boundaries were hit in the last 32 balls. Honestly, I thought that Mumbai Indians was in a comfortable position having triggered a late collapse and restricted Deccan Chargers. And they took a similar path as DC had taken. After 10 overs, Mumbai Indians score read 84 for one; Deccan Charges had managed 88 for one by the strategic break.

Spin has been the flavour of IPL so far and that was true even for this game. Take a look at the overs bowled by Mumbai spinners and those by the Deccan Chargers spinners. Mumbai Indians bowled seven overs and that cost them 56 runs and fetched two wickets. Deccan Chargers used nine overs of spin and it got them three crucial wickets at 62 runs. The economy rate (6.88) of the DC spinners was also better than the Mumbai Indians spinners (8).

It was interesting to see how five overs between 10th and 17th were bowled by non-regular bowlers and cost only 41 runs. Venugopal Rao bowled full length and never gave any width or length to slog. The runs just dried up and Deccan Chargers won their third straight game.

The collapse began in the 11th over after Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. Gilchrist got the confidence to employ spin from both ends. Between the 10th and 17th over, Deccan Chargers resorted to spin and it yielded results. Ojha picked up a wicket in the 11th, 13th and the 15th over to push the Mumbai Indians on the backfoot.

Mumbai Indians had two left-handers – Shikhar Dhawan and Duminy who should have been able to handle Ojha’s left-arm spin quite comfortably but could not. There were no partnerships after the 11th over and even irregular spinners like Rohit Sharma and Venugopal Rao bowled exceptionally well.

Kings XI opens their account - Courtesy : Ravi Bopara

Ravi Bopara compiled a supremely-paced innings, one that could rival AB de Villiers' century because it came during a run-chase, to give Kings XI Punjab their first victory of the tournament. He scored steadily without taking too many risks and just when the chase entered its final phase Bopara accelerated with tremendous speed to consign Bangalore Royal Challengers to their third consecutive defeat.

The groundwork for the win was laid by Punjab's bowlers who made their first sunny match-day count. Yusuf Abdulla, who had bowled three overs for 39 before this match, struck at crucial moments in Bangalore's innings. Abdulla's four strikes, and Irfan Pathan's three in the final overs, were vital in restricting Bangalore to 168, a target which allowed Punjab's batsmen to play according to a plan.

Chasing under lights at Kingsmead can be tricky and Punjab approached their chase cautiously. Their openers, Karan Goel and Bopara, played few big shots, focusing instead on scoring at nearly eight an over by pushing the ball into gaps. They scored only 44 off the first six overs and Bopara's pull off Jacques Kallis, which sailed over the square leg boundary at the start of the seventh over, was the first six of the innings.

Goel fell soon after, run out after a stand of 52, and the batsmen that followed - Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh - also paced, rather than pushed, their innings. Punjab ensured that the asking-rate didn't spiral out of control, but with 60 runs needed off the last five overs, they couldn't afford any slip-ups.

Bopara ensured there weren't any. He launched into Praveen Kumar in the 16th over, smashing him for sixes over long-on and deep backward square leg and took 19 runs off the over. Yuvraj pulled and glanced two fours off Kallis in the next over to reduce the equation to 28 off three. And when Bopara pulled a full toss and powered another full ball over the leg-side boundary, the game was nearly won. Yuvraj reached the target with a straight six with a whole over to spare, completing a clinical chase.

The calmness that Punjab exhibited during the chase was absent during Bangalore's innings. Bangalore's openers once again failed to put a partnership together with Robin Uthappa chasing and edging Pathan's wide delivery in the second over. It was the fourth time in as many matches that Bangalore were losing an opener for a duck (Jesse Ryder twice, Praveen and Uthappa once). Ryder, however, finally got off the mark this season, punching his third ball off Ranadeb Bose to the cover boundary.

Kallis started in high gear, pulling a short ball from Pathan over the long-leg boundary and lofting Abdulla's first ball over cover point for four. Ryder also hit Pathan to the point boundary and Bangalore seemed to have shrugged off their Powerplay troubles: their average in the first six overs was 36 runs for the loss of 2.33 wickets and today they were 48 for 1 off 5.1 overs.

Abdulla, however, wrecked their momentum, bowling Ryder as he attempted to play a pull. Two balls later, he struck a tremendous blow, drawing Kevin Pietersen into spooning a catch to cover off a slower ball. Rahul Dravid once again entered with his team in trouble - 48 for 3 - but this time he failed to contribute. Tied down by the spinners - Bangalore scored only 22 between overs six and ten - Dravid attempted to smash Piyush Chawla down the ground and skied a catch towards long-on.

Kallis and Taylor had added 61 in quick time before Abdulla returned to induce a mis-timed pull from Kallis with a slower short ball. Taylor continued to attack, slog-sweeping Chawla into the stands at deep midwicket, but he eventually became Adbulla's fourth wicket. Pathan picked up quick wickets towards the close and Bangalore finished several runs short of what they would have aimed for.

Royals wins via Super over

Yusuf Pathan broke the IPL's first tie and with it Kolkata Knight Riders' hearts through clean hitting in the Super Over, to chase down 16 runs in four deliveries. It was intense drama at Newlands with the match swinging either way - from the moment Rajasthan Royals lost two wickets in the first three overs, till Sourav Ganguly's dismissal with two runs required and one ball to go - as the excitement spilled over into the Super Over, the solution to a Twenty20 tie.

It was Yusuf who helped Rajasthan recover from their second bad start in the tournament, at 14 for 2 in 2.2 overs this time. He plundered 42 off 21 balls, comprising six boundaries and two sixes. He then bowled the first over for Rajasthan, with fast, bouncy offbreaks to keep Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum from getting off to a quick start. His first three overs bowled inside the Powerplays, to two of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket went for just 12.

Later, Sourav Ganguly pulled another one out of the old hat to almost mastermind a chase that looked gone with five down and 57 required in the last six overs. His 46 off 30 balls - especially the backing away and hitting through the off side - evoked the days when Ganguly used to be the best ODI batsman in the world.

Kamran Khan, Shane Warne's left-arm sling prodigy, bowled the designated Super Over for Rajasthan, but he had already bowled a 'super over' before that - the last over of the actual match. Kolkata needed only seven to win off that over, and despite starting off with a wide, Kamran took Ganguly's wicket off the fifth ball, and a single off the last ball ensured the dream result for the IPL, a tie.

Three Kolkata players would especially be heartbroken. Gayle, who was limping when he lofted the ball into the stratosphere many a time during his 41 off 33 balls, got the chase going. He then hit three successive boundaries in the Super Over to set Rajasthan a difficult target. He also assisted Ajantha Mendis in pulling back Rajasthan after Yusuf had reprised some of his last year's form. Mendis removed Yusuf and Graeme Smith, two of Rajasthan's most dangerous batsmen, in one over, and gave away only 19 in his four overs.

But in four balls of his Super Over, Mendis went for 18. Yusuf hit him over wide long-off for a first-ball six. He was then dropped off the second ball, with Brad Hodge failing to latch on to the miscued slog sweep running in from long-on towards mid-off. The third ball was hit over midwicket, and the fourth swept along the ground to square-leg boundary. Cricket can be tough on the toughest of players.

The most dejected - and it showed - was Ganguly, who brought in all his experience to fight Shane Warne's canny tactics to single-handedly take the game to a stage from where it should have been a cruise. But with eight required off eight, he lost his partner, Yashpal Sharma, to an irresponsible shot. On the fifth ball of the last over, with two required he himself went looking for a four through the off side and edged Kamran.

Heart-broken or not, when we look back at this game, Yusuf, Kamran, and Warne's innovative leadership will shine as the brightest moments.

Yusuf had come into bat when Anureet Singh, the Railways medium-pacer, and Ishant Sharma had taken out the Rajasthan newcomers Abhishek Raut and Rob Quiney in three balls early after they were put in by Kolkata. The changes were necessitated by a growing concern over some of the Indian domestic batsmen's capabilities on the bouncier pitches of South Africa.

But Yusuf put any such doubts over his credentials to rest as soon as he came in. A monstrous straight six off Ishant off the third ball he faced was followed by an across-the-line boundary off the next ball. Yusuf tried to spoil a decent debut by Anureet through a swivel-pulled six off the next ball he faced. Ajit Agarkar was the next in line, and he suffered the worst treatment, going for three boundaries in four balls. From 14 for 2 in 2.2 overs, Yusuf had taken Rajasthan to 54 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay through a brilliant counterattack.

But that's when Mendis came on, and turned the game around. Such was the choke hold applied by Mendis and Gayle that Rajasthan had to wait for 49 deliveries in the middle overs for a boundary. From 70 for 2 in eight overs, they went to 132 for 6 in 19 before Abhishek Raut, another debutant, ruined Anureet's debut with two sixes and a four in the last over.

A simplistic and a ruthless way to look back at the match would be to look at the 20th overs of each innings. Both times Kolkata looked a stronger side, but Rajasthan pulled it back through their immense fighting qualities. In the process the teams produced a Twenty20 classic. The only pity was that the teams had to be separated after they had both made multiple comebacks from seemingly impossible situations.

Delhi Clinches Thriller

Delhi Daredevils, inspired by AB de Villiers' superbly-paced century, held their nerve in the field to beat Chennai Super Kings in the first close game of IPL 2. de Villiers' century, the first of the tournament, came after Delhi's innings started in catastrophe and powered them to the highest total this season. Matthew Hayden charged a stiff chase with another aggressive innings and Suresh Raina's cool head kept Chennai on par with the asking rate, but Delhi won the battle of the death overs to sneak a thriller. Leading, expectedly, was the parsimonious Daniel Vettori who, after striking after the seven-and-a-half minute tactical break, bowled a decisive penultimate over.

This was a win fashioned with the bat. Tillakaratne Dilshan and de Villiers added 68 at a frenetic clip after Delhi were struggling at 8 for 2 with Gautam Gambhir - out to the very economical L Balaji first ball - and Virender Sehwag - pulling needlessly - out early. Dilshan started like a man with a train to catch, slashing five fours and two sixes in his first 15 balls. Taking a cue from de Villiers, who pulled Manpreet Gony for an easy six over midwicket, Dilshan picked the same bowler off his pads for six. Then he welcomed Albie Morkel into the attack by thumping three successive boundaries in a 17-run over. Dilshan slashed Andrew Flintoff over slip and then pulled him for a flat six. Fourty-five had been crashed off three overs and Dilshan's fifty took 24 balls. He fell slapping a full toss to extra cover.

While Dilshan was going berserk, de Villiers looked briefly like he was at the wrong party, simply scurrying down the other end with open-faced steers behind square. But once Dilshan departed de Villiers had to play host. The pattern of scoring changed from boundaries to nudges, flicks and cuts to third man. It appeared, as Chennai sneaked in 29 boundary-less deliveries and Balaji returned to dismiss Dinesh Karthik, that Delhi may have squandered Dilshan's platform.

Then Morkel drop a sitter off de Villiers the ball after he had raised his half-century and all hell broke loose. Clearing his front leg and relying on amazing hand-eye contact de Villiers thumped three sixes and three fours before clipping his 51st delivery to raise an amazing century. His second fifty needed just 19 balls.

It was a power-packed innings, highlighted by de Villiers' stunning assault in the last four overs: nothing matched the 20 he smashed in four successive balls off Flintoff. The fifth-wicket stand between de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary was worth 74 in 5.5 overs, Tiwary's contribution being nine.

Chasing the highest target set this season, Chennai needed something special. Hayden sparked it, with ten in the first over of the chase. Ashish Nehra looked like a man who hadn't played international standard opposition in months, dragging the ball short to allow a pumped Hayden clip runs through midwicket. Avishkar Salvi struggled to locate his line - either serving full or dropping short - and Hayden merrily ransacked him to the leg side in a 24-run over. Hayden raised his fifty from 22 balls.

Domination led to his dismissal and gave the impressive Pradeep Sangwan his second wicket. Having got Parthiv Patel driving to de Villiers at cover with a full one, Sangwan opted for a shorter length and Hayden miscued a pull to the deep.

At the half-way mark Chennai were 106 for 2, well on track thanks to Hayden. Vettori varied his pace and length to stifle MS Dhoni and drew a nick through to Karthik. Suresh Raina kept the flame burning with another gem - finding the boundary every over - before he sent a Sangwan full toss down long-on's throat for a 27-ball 41. Sangwan bowled well and picked up three wickets.

It was still anyone's game with Flintoff at the crease, 42 needed and Nehra called back for the 16th over. Flintoff worked a single, Morkel clipped four, but when Flintoff got back on strike Nehra forced him to hole out to long-off.

Salvi returned to bowl a five-run 17th over but thanks to Chennai's good work the asking rate was under ten. It was nerve-racking as both teams battled for a decisive edge. Nehra kept it very full and straight, Karthik missed a run out, Morkel survived another tight over. With 24 needed from 12 Sehwag tossed the ball back to Vettori, who immediately dismissed a sluggish S Badrinath. Vettori's over included a six by Gony and a run out to set pulses soaring, but by then the match had been decided. David Warner may not have gotten a game yet but he made his presence felt with two catches in the deep and a direct hit in the last over. A chase that had started with power ended in a panic.

Three overseas stars showed there was more to Delhi than Sehwag and Gambhir, further indication that this is the team to beat in the IPL.

Gilly destroys Bangalore

It has always been a treat to watch this man bat and on Wednesday, the spectators at Newlands were witness to Adam Gilchrist’s class and artistry all over again.

The left-hander a plundered Royal Challengers Bangalore from the first over. His swashbuckling 71 off 45 balls, including five sixes and six fours, along with some scintillating batting from Rohit Sharma (52 off 30 balls, five sixes) set the pace for Deccan Chargers who went on to win the match by 24 runs.

Gilchrist used his willow with vigour and once again showed a relentless drive of a remarkable batsman with loads of commitment, courage and mental strength. The former Aussie wicket-keeper raced to his half century in 31 balls and by the time he was caught at short extra cover by Virat Kohli off Pietersen, he had already propelled the Chargers’ score to 127 in the 14th over.

Rohit Shamra too flourished in the company of his illustrious senior and matched him stroke by stroke. He played with much authority and took full control of the match after the departure of his skipper. His three sixes of a Kumble’s over was a marvel and his sizzling innings helped Team Hyderabad set a daunting target of 184.

Royal Challengers Bangalore started their chase on a disastrous note, losing Jesse Ryder to the very first ball from Fidel Edwards. When Kevin Pietersen returned to the pavilion in the 11th over with scoreboard still reading 62 for four, the match had already slipped from their grasp.

Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli sought to repair the damage but their knocks came in too late for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Kings XI blown away by Gayle

Kolkata Knight Riders secured a comfortable victory over last year's semifinalist Kings XI Punjab in the fifth game of the DLF Indian Premier League at Kingsmead here on Tuesday, winning by 11-runs in the Duckworth-Lewis system. Chasing 159 in 20 overs, Knight Riders were 79 for one in 9.2 when rain stopped play.

Along with former captain Sourav Ganguly who bowled superbly to finish with two for 24 in four overs, Chris Gayle (44 not out, 26 balls, two fours, four sixes) was in the forefront of Knight Riders campaign to shrug off the defeat by Deccan Chargers in their opening game. Gayle ensured that Knight Riders were ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis rule with his blazing batsmanship.

Left-arm pace bowlers Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Abdulla will testify that Gayle was at his belligerent best but he played the steadying hand, too after Brendon McCullum fell in the sixth over. His switch between attack and percentage cricket was so seamless that the Kings XI Punjab side was unable to find a way past his defence.

Earlier, Kings XI Punjab made 158 for six in its 20 overs after Sourav Ganguly turned in a memorable display with the ball. Coming on to bowl at a time when Irfan Pathan had celebrated his elevation to No. 3 with some lusty blows, Ganguly bowled with a lot of guile - something he had always done on seaming tracks during his international career.

His double strike, sending back the dangerous Irfan Pathan and Ravi Bopara in the seventh over the innings left Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh to first play the defensive role and then gain momentum. They added 56 runs for the fourth wicket but it was a useful cameo by Mahela Jayawardene that lifted Kings XI Punjab to a fighting score.

For the first time in six games, spinners played a minimal role with Chris Gayle and Murali Kartik but then this is Kingsmead, arguably the fastest and bounciest track in the competition. Well as men like Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda and the Portugal-born Australian Moses Henriques bowled, it was Ganguly's effort that will remain etched in the minds of the fans here as much as Gayle's batting before the rain came down.

Super Kings steamroll Royal Challengers

His technical mastery, unflappable temperament and a fondness for the big stage make Matthew Hayden a marvel on the field.

The veteran of many a battle unfurled some of his class at Port Elizabeth on Monday when he plundered the Royal Challengers Bangalore attack and made 65 off 35 balls to help Chennai Super Kings post the highest total of DLF Indian Premier League Season II and set up a huge 92-run win on Monday to haul the team’s campaign back on track after the defeat by Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan weaved web around the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen and his spell of three for 11 was the feature of Chennai Super Kings’ first win this season.

Hayden on song was a joy to watch but bowlers found him showing no mercy. Jacques Kallis was at the receiving end when the recently retired Australian opener went full throttle and scored 20, including two sixes and as many fours in one over.

Hayden was just as harsh on Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli and Dale Steyn and the manner in which he scored against the Challengers’ attack, was breathtakingly good. With fellow left-handed Parthiv Patel (30 off 26 balls), he put on 100 runs in 58 balls for the first wicket but the strategy break saw them both lose their wickets soon after.

However, Suresh Raina (28), Mahendra Dhoni (16) and Andrew Flintoff (22) ensured that Chennai Super Kings reached a huge total and by the end had done enough to put a daunting target of 179 for the Challengers.

Later, Muralitharan showcased his brand of magic and had the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen in a tangle when he scalped Ross Taylor and Kevin Pietersen off successive deliveries in his first over. He then had Robin Uthappa stumped and Royal Challengers Bangalore was left biding time for a tame finish.

Chargers charge forward

Could the script have been any different from last year's start for the Kolkata Knight Riders? Brendon McCullum's intoxicating 158 had taken them to an enormous victory a year ago, but they were outplayed by an efficient Deccan Chargers outfit on a juicy pitch in Cape Town. It has been a weekend to savour for bowlers, and each member of Deccan's attack did their bit to leave Kolkata scrambling to reach triple-digits. Herschelle Gibbs, coming off a triumphant series against Australia, and Rohit Sharma, back in the country where he made his name in 2007, then made sure Deccan's campaign didn't begin in the dismal way last season's had.

Kolkata had packed their batting with foreign players, but it wasn't enough to prevent a hapless batting performance. Their formidable top order was handcuffed by Deccan's new-ball bowlers. Fidel Edwards was fast and frugal - consistently around the 140kph mark, he gave away only six runs, the lowest conceded in a completed IPL spell - and RP Singh evicted the Kolkata openers early.

Everything went right for Deccan. With Kolkata on 2 for 1 after three overs, Gayle broke free with a crash past point for four and a mow over midwicket for six. Then Adam Gilchrist pushed a fielder back to long-on, where Gayle promptly holed out next ball.

Sourav Ganguly had a short-lived and uncomfortable stay, beaten several times, and was unable to find the gap through the off side when he connected. Even fans protesting his removal from the captaincy can't defend the shot that brought about his dismissal - backing away and then stabbing at a wide, full delivery, only to nick it to slip.

Despite rain and a floodlight failure causing the game to be delayed by nearly an hour-and-a-half, the organisers decided to have the seven-and-a-half-minute interval after the tenth over. Aakash Chopra and Brad Hodge had dragged Kolkata to 31 for 3 by then, but also found Pragyan Ojha's left-arm spin a handful. Both Chopra and Laxmi Shukla perished giving Ojha the charge, only to be undone by the turn.

Hodge, the leading run-getter in Twenty20s, played a sensible hand. He entered in the fifth over and knocked around the singles before opening out in the 16th. Hodge slammed a couple of boundaries before slapping Scott Styris straight to Herschelle Gibbs at point. The tailenders threw their bat around but RP took two in three balls to deny Kolkata even the modest satisfaction of playing out their 20 overs.

A target of 102 was never going to be too big a challenge, especially as Kolkata had left out Ajantha Mendis on a pitch spinners have thrived on all weekend. Adam Gilchrist hit a couple of trademark boundaries before top-edging to square leg and VVS Laxman, after bludgeoning an out-of-character pull for six, was dismissed due to an old failing - poor running between the wickets.

That brought together Rohit and Gibbs, who knuckled down to work a few singles and steady the innings. Gibbs then started playing some inventive shots, a bent-knee sweep off Ganguly for four followed by a deft dab towards third man. Any pressure that Kolkata had built up vanished, and neither batsmen was afraid of lofting the ball after that.

Rohit joined in the fun once Ajit Agarkar was introduced, a huge six over long-off and a couple of boundaries helping take 17 runs off his first over. Some more merry hitting from the pair finished off the game with nearly seven overs to spare.

Kolkata had talked of a radical multiple-captain theory before the tournament, but they need to come up with some fresh ideas if they are improve on today's dreadful show.

Vettori sends Kings XI on a spin

Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori and skipper Virender Sehwag were the toast of Delhi Daredevils' 10-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in the third game of the DLF Indian Premier League at Newlands on Sunday.

Following up on some great bowling effort by spinners Harbhajan Singh, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble on Saturday, Vettori put the skids on a marauding Kings XI Punjab line-up with figures of three for 15 in three overs after Karan Goel and Ravi Bopara sent their team off to a flying start with a 67-run stand in six overs. The team batting first lost its way as Vettori came back after the strategy break with wickets and Kings XI Punjab lost three men to run out dismissals and finished with 104 for seven in 12 overs.

Delhi Daredevils captain Sehwag led the chase with an unbeaten 38 off 16 balls (four fours and three sixes) to steer his team home after a spell of rain led to a revised target being set for his team. They were 24 in 1.5 overs when a rain break intervened and needed to get 54 runs in six overs. The winners got there with seven deliveries to spare -- and Gautam Gambhir had to do little more than enjoy himself from 22 yards away.

Vettori made two telling statements at Newlands on Sunday.

First, he claimed three wickets for just 15 runs in Delhi Daredevils’s facile victory over Kings XI Punjab and then simply said spinners would always have a role to play in DLF Indian Premier League games in South Africa.

“We have seen this in the three matches played so far. Shane Warne was fantastic and Anil Kumble showed the role a spinner can play even under these conditions,” said the left-arm spinner who was just following up on the trend Mumbai Indians’ Harbhajan Singh and Sanath Jayasuriya had started in the opening game on Saturday.

To say that the vastly-experienced Vettori played an important role in restricting Kings XI Punjab would be an understatement. Kings XI Punjab had got off to a scintillating start with Karan Goel and Ravi Bopara striking the ball all over the park but his three overs cost him just 15 runs and he picked up three wickets in the bargain.

Warne, Anil Kumble, Vettori, Harbhajan Singh and even Sanath Jayasuriya proved that their experience was invaluable and their contribution would count, especially on the spongy wickets, making light of theory that the pace and bounce of the tracks in South Africa would make the faster bowlers more critical elements.

Rajasthan Royally Ripped off

No one can accuse Bangalore Royal Challengers of not preparing properly. Their new captain, Kevin Pietersen, was on the phone repeatedly with their new coach, Ray Jennings, ahead of the tournament. Tactics were discussed, names learned. Earlier today, as Mumbai Indians got things under way against Chennai Super Kings, the pair of them were side by side in the media centre, watching, analysing, possibly fine-tuning. Neither was involved last year, when Bangalore lost 10 games out of 14, but they share a sense of responsibility now. And how. The champions didn't know what hit them.

For a while it looked as if the planning would go to waste. Pietersen had won the toss, but the pitch was drier than when MS Dhoni chose to insert Mumbai in the opening match. In that respect, Pietersen's decision to bat first was fair enough, but it may have ignored the problem of contending with Newlands as the lights come on and batsmen struggle to pick up the ball in conditions that are neither day nor night.

Nought for two after three balls with Dimitri Mascarenhas on a hat-trick was not the dimension he had in mind. Pietersen did, though, survive the hat-trick ball before whipping the next through midwicket with a trademark flourish, but Robin Uthappa soon became Mascarenhas' third victim. At 17 for 3, memories of 2008 had returned with indecent haste. At 88 for 6, they seemed to be settling in for the duration.

But Rahul Dravid was not giving up. Last year Bangalore opened themselves up to ridicule by picking what quickly became dubbed a Test team. This was a bit unfair on Dravid, who was captain then and overcame a sticky start to become the franchise's leading run-scorer by a distance. Today he eased into the senior role again with a clever 66 off 48 balls to put Pietersen's attractive 32 in the shade. A score of 133 for 8 was at the very least a basis for negotiation.

It quickly became more than that. Swapnil Asnodkar, an unexpected star in 2008, carelessly tried to pull his second ball but instead top-edged Praveen Kumar to point, and it was 7 for 2 when Graeme Smith poked Praveen to Dravid at slip. Pietersen, who moments earlier had spoken to umpire Tiffin for apparently awarding Rajasthan a wide after a meaningful stare from Smith, enjoyed that moment.

The runs dried up completely. Ryder nipped in with the wickets of Niraj Patel and Tyron Henderson, and Mascarenhas was run out first ball. There may not be a worse time-out score all tournament than the champions' 32 for 5. The rest, including a double-wicket maiden for Anil Kumble, who finished with the astonishing figures of 3.1-1-5-5, needn't have bothered.

Victory was presumably all the sweeter for coming against his old friend-turned-lukewarm-acquaintance Shane Warne. For a while, Warne had threatened to do what he does best and steal the show. He bowled Virat Kohli with his fifth delivery, a very full leg-break, then tempted B Akhil down the pitch and bowled him too past the inside edge with one that turned only a fraction. A diving catch at extra cover off Dravid was proof that his 39-year-old limbs still respond to orders.

Tendulkar's brilliance all the way...

In the first match of the IPL in 2008, Brendon McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 from just 73 balls to set up a crushing win for his side. A year later, as season two got underway across the Indian Ocean in different conditions and under grey skies, Sachin Tendulkar batted 20 overs for an unbeaten 59 from 49 balls. It was as valuable as McCullum's blitzkrieg, if utterly different in execution and appeal, for it came on a track not entirely conducive to batting and laid the platform for Mumbai Indians' victory.

Stumbling and bumbling, Mumbai managed to put together a competitive total after the core of their vaunted batting struggled to cope with the uneven bounce at Newlands. There were few fireworks from the big bats and the team owed plenty to the vast experience of Tendulkar, who absorbed the pressure superbly. Where Chennai's pacers were tidy in restricting runs during the middle stages of Mumbai's innings, it was the spinners Harbhajan Singh and Sanath Jayasuriya who derailed Chennai. They varied their pace and reined in the big hitters before Lasith Malinga kept the tail under control.

The pre-match drizzle in cloudy Cape Town influenced MS Dhoni's decision to field on a damp pitch, and though Mumbai's opening partnership yielded 39 in 5.4 overs, it wasn't convincing. Jayasuriya slashed and swiped and survived a run-out before he mowed fellow Sri Lankan Thilan Thushara to midwicket for 26. The ball didn't come on to the bat, as was evident in Tendulkar's frequent grimaces and constant shuffling to manoeuvre the bowling. Tendulkar attempted and connected with a few risky shots over the infield and was dropped on 10 by Matthew Hayden at first slip, off a leading edge induced by Andrew Flintoff.

Play was then held up for 12 minutes when a dog found its way onto the field. Failing to be enticed by whistles, calls, dives and even an inviting snack, the canine intruder got bored and finally trudged away. After the resumption Chennai's bowlers made swift inroads.

Shikhar Dhawan struggled for fluency and was undone by the slow bounce as he top-edged Manpreet Gony. Gony then held on to a sharp reflex catch to get JP Duminy with a clever bouncer in his next over and, taking the cue, Joginder Sharma dropped short and had Dwayne Bravo pulling to deep square leg. It was proof that the short-pitched ball can work well on such tracks. With Tendulkar keeping one end up, Abhishek Nayar walked out and played an invaluable cameo that provided a late push. Nayar larruped Flintoff for three sixes in a 22-run over in his 14-ball 35, while Tendulkar kept the innings alive by batting through the 20 overs. That 46-run partnership would prove decisive.

Chennai's chase was dented in the first over when Parthiv Patel steered Malinga to Tendulkar at slip. Suresh Raina caressed an impressive boundary in Zaheer Khan's first over but fell in the next, pulling Bravo to deep square leg where Rohan Raje made a difficult chance look easy. Malinga was tight, and Tendulkar showed the value of taking pace off the ball as a run-checking tactic by bringing on spinners at both ends, as Chennai's batsmen remained restless.

And as long as there is limited-overs cricket there will linger the prospect of the spinners' choking the opposition during the middle overs, especially when an Indian and a Sri Lankan are bowling. Today Harbhajan and Jayasuriya did that job. Flintoff didn't last long against Harbhajan, going for a wild swipe and popping back an easy catch.

Hayden - who bullied young medium-pacer Raje for three successive fours and drilled his old friend Harbhajan for a straight six - chased a wide one from Jayasuriya and picked out a diving Zaheer at cover. Jacob Oram then perished to an ugly slog against Jayasuriya, leaving Dhoni with plenty to do.

Dhoni swung his bat freely but the rest perished with a whimper. Malinga gave away nothing and his crafty yorkers and reverse-swinging variations netted him excellent figures of 3 for 15 from four parsimonious overs.