The Great Game Called Cricket...

While MS Dhoni was hammering Juan Theron in the penultimate over of the match, Irfan Pathan grew restless at square leg. He began stretching his hands and was soon waving them up and down. He squatted on the grass, folded his right leg horizontally while simultaneously stretching forward, trying to get his forehead to the left knee, and repeated the exercise with the other leg. As the umpire handed Theron his cap, Irfan had raced to the other end, removing his jumper and walking to his mark to bowl the final over. He had 15 runs to defend.

Irfan had already done it once at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, bowling a tight final over to force a tie and a Super Over, which Kings XI Punjab won. Dhoni had predicted at the time that the loss would cause a lot of misery for Chennai. It did, and only victory today would secure a semi-final spot.

The pressure was shared by batsman and bowler. As the chase approached its climax, Dhoni had managed to sway the home support and a full house at the HPCA stadium had started chanting "Dhoni, Dhoni".

The brief in the final overs is simple: bowl yorkers. Irfan bowled an angled delivery on off stump and Dhoni made room to drive it into the gap between sweeper cover and deep extra cover for four. Irfan did not recover and his lengths were lengths were easy for Dhoni to pick up. After conceding two consecutive sixes to end the game, Irfan collected his jumper from the umpire, shook hands with Dhoni and walked towards the dressing room with head bowed.

"I was hoping he [Irfan] would make a mistake and bowl in my area more than me playing an extraordinary shot. He did that thrice in four deliveries and it went my way," Dhoni said later.

Tom Moody, Punjab's coach, gave credit to Chennai for staying strong even though Punjab were in control till the 18th over. "With two overs to go, you would have probably felt we were slightly in favour, but we didn't execute our yorkers as well we should have done in those last 12 balls," he said. It was not the first time Punjab had lost the plot from a winning position this season and Moody admitted failure on all three fronts. "Unfortunately there were too many games like tonight, where we had winning scores and we couldn't defend them. We failed consistently in all three - bat, ball and field."

Barring Mahela Jayawardene, who found form mid-way into the season, the rest of Punjab's batsmen struggled. Yuvraj Singh, who came into the IPL with a wrist injury, was the most consistent failure and that generated gossip and condemnation. So much so that Moody and Kumar Sangakkara had to perform damage control after every loss. "What simply was the case was we had a number of players out of form," was Moody's assessment. "It was not until the back half of the season that our batsmen came into form. The second thing we had is a number of injuries which really affected our strike power more than anything else."


Compounding the failure of the batsmen was the absence of an impact bowler, such as Dale Steyn or Doug Bollinger, capable of clinching tight matches. Brett Lee's injury troubles made it worse, while James Hopes and Jerome Taylor failed to arrive due to injury.

As for the Indians, Sreesanth, who had sarcastically announced on his return to the Indian team that his maverick self was 'his-story' - turned out a sad story, roaming around aimlessly in training sessions, as he found little support from team management, who reportedly decided to keep him out on disciplinary grounds. Moody admitted the Indian domestic players couldn't raise their game to the level that players in the other teams had managed to.

Responsibility fell on youngsters like Theron, who while impressive is still learning the craft. "Rusty did a great job but his role was towards the back-end of the innings, not as a frontline strike bowler. Our frontline lacked teeth," Moody said. "Tonight was a good example where our spinners put us in a wonderful position but our medium-pacers gave away plenty."

Long before the Chennai Super Kings players mobbed their captain after he struck the game-winning six with two balls left, there was a far less cheery appearance to the squad. There was MS Dhoni - as he told it later - looking at how the campaign of a team that had never failed to reach the IPL semi-finals had led it to a knockout league match in Dharamsala, as far detached from Chennai's humidity as possible. Chennai had been hurt by the absence of two overseas allrounders, the ineffectiveness of their Indian fast bowlers, and the patchy form of Matthew Hayden and Dhoni for much of the competition. Their season had reached a point of great irritation and desperation.

Dhoni spoke after the match of how his own form had been a disappointing feature before this cracker of a contest, and that gave context to his rare outburst after sealing victory. When he slammed a second successive six off Irfan Pathan to ensure Chennai evaded elimination, Dhoni's passionate and intense release of emotion, which culminated with an uppercut he landed himself on the chin, spoke volumes. In the space of four deliveries Chennai clinched a thriller, and the resounding effect of Dhoni's performance echoed louder than many could have envisioned.

After another shambolic bowling effort - where the faster bowlers were again to blame - and another single-digit score from Hayden, two excellent innings from Suresh Raina and S Badrinath had ensured there was never any real panic during a huge chase. Dhoni commended the pair later, but his own role proved the decisive one. To hit 28 of the 29 runs needed from the two remaining overs, and with two balls to spare, was sublime. The turning point came in the penultimate over when, after hitting two boundaries, Dhoni was dropped by Kumar Sangakkara. In the final over, from which Chennai needed 16, Dhoni switched gears to smash two sixes.

There are three basic aspects to Dhoni's game - speed, confidence and unflappability. For someone with an unorthodox technique, the bat speed he generates is remarkable, his running between wickets is among the quickest India have seen, and his timing is sweet. And then there is the it factor: his seemingly nonchalant disregard for the opposition and an unfazed demeanour. Asian batsmen are known to be wristy craftsmen and Dhoni is the Andy Warhol of this artistry - bold, aggressive, and striving to redefine. That's what he did tonight when Irfan - whose pace was just how Dhoni likes it - was given the ball.

Such is Dhoni's swing, bat speed and ability to hang back in his crease that he can turn good deliveries into boundary-balls. The first ball was nearly a yorker, but Dhoni converted it into a freebie and bludgeoned it past extra cover for four with awesome wrist power. After a miscue for two, Dhoni reached out to a failed yorker and crashed it from outside off to on top of the roof behind long-on. It was an audacious hit, and you could only but sit and marvel at Dhoni's genius.

Dhoni's power-hitting has been influential in India winning many ODIs, but this was a different Dhoni after the win. "It was a very emotional moment for me, because franchise cricket is also professional cricket, " Dhoni said. "At the end of 20 overs it was very tough to say whether we could chase down 190-odd runs. Raina again gave us a start and soaked up all the pressure, and Badri batted really well. Because it was a small ground and the altitude is high the ball travels really far, and the outfield is quick, so at the back of my mind it was there that whatever runs were needed at the end, they could be achieved. Most chances are that I may succeed, about 60-70%, and that's what happened."

Dhoni has earned the reputation of being a great finisher and this was another example of just how devastating he can be. The situation was so precarious, but that's exactly when Dhoni chose to step up. Chennai had been in tight spots earlier in the competition and failed to hang on. Tonight, in a do-or-die match, they emerged trumps thanks to the sheer gall of their most valuable asset.

It was perhaps fitting that Dhoni rediscovered his mojo here in the Himalayas, for he originally hails from the hill region of Almora, in Uttaranchal. Tonight he played his part to perfection, flattening Kings XI Punjab with a brilliant innings and living up to his billing as a finisher. If the sky provided all the rain during a day that fluctuated from chilly to warm, Dhoni's bat took care of the thunder and lightning.

A pumped-up MS Dhoni showed why he's one of the great finishers in the game, blasting 30 runs in the final two overs to ensure Chennai Super Kings would contest an IPL semi-final for the third season in a row. Chennai's chances seemed dim after Shaun Marsh's sparkling innings had powered Kings XI Punjab to a massive total, but meaty innings from Suresh Raina and S Badrinath set the stage for a Dhoni onslaught during a tense finish.

Punjab held the edge for most of the match, and going into the last two overs Chennai needed 29, a tough task even with Dhoni and Albie Morkel at the crease. Juan Theron had been a hero the last time the two teams met, but he couldn't save Punjab in Dharamsala.

The penultimate over, by Theron, started with two murderous hits for four from Dhoni, feasting on the length deliveries offered. He looked to repeat on the third ball, but a thick edge flew high and fast to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who managed to get a glove on it. Theron kept it to singles for the rest of the over, leaving Chennai needing 16 off the last.

Irfan Pathan had bowled the last six deliveries against Chennai at the MA Chidambaram as well, and he had kept them to nine runs to push that match into a Super Over. This time, though, he didn't have a tailender like R Ashwin to bowl to; it was Dhoni, channeling the buccaneer spirit with which he made his name.

The first delivery was almost a yorker, but Dhoni managed to power it wide of long off for four. The next was a slower one that he top-edged, but it landed short of long off and Chennai were two runs closer. The match was effectively sealed off the third delivery: a monstrous hit over wide long on sent the ball out of the ground, reducing the equation to four off three. Dhoni finished it with another thrash over long on, and the famously cool captain let out a roar and then punched the side of the helmet as the adrenaline flowed and his team-mates raced from the dug-out in joy.

Chennai's pursuit got off to a horror start when Ramesh Powar's classic offspin bowling, tossing the ball up and keeping the pace down in un-Twenty20 fashion, accounted for the dangerous openers Matthew Hayden and M Vijay.


From 26 for 2 in the fifth over, it was Raina who ignited the chase in company of Badrinath, promoted ahead of Dhoni. At least 11 runs came off each of the next six overs as Raina waded into the Punjab attack. The sixes kept raining until he was dismissed in the 10th over with a beautifully-timed hit to sweeper cover, similar to his exit in the previous match against Delhi Daredevils.

Badrinath has had plenty of questions asked over his ability in limited-overs matches, and they resurfaced when he went scoreless for six deliveries after Raina's fall. He broke that spell with a clean hit over long-off and a paddle-scoop over fine leg for four. There were a couple of close lbw calls against Piyush Chawla, but he kept the boundaries coming so that by the time he was stumped for 53 in the 17th over, his strike-rate was touching 150. After he fell, it was all about Dhoni, as Punjab's inability to fire in yorkers hurt them yet again.

Punjab had looked set to close out a forgettable season with a consolation win after they had been sent in. Mahela Jayawardene's blistering cameo gave them a cracking start, and Sangakkara showed again that you could score at Twenty20 rate using orthodox cricketing strokes.

Marsh was content to let the Sri Lankan stars make most of the runs in the first half of the innings, but once Chennai hit back with the big wickets of Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh in successive overs, he brought out the clean hitting that got him runs by the wagonload in the inaugural season.

He and Irfan amassed 99 runs in the last eight overs, and the Marsh blitz started with two sixes and two fours in six deliveries, during which he galloped from 39 to 58. A slog-sweep out of the stadium followed, and he clubbed Bollinger twice over the ropes in the 19th over.

Irfan racked up 15 in the final over but that proved pointless in a match which was characteristic of Kings XI Punjab's season: their batsmen piled on lots of runs but the limp bowling and awful fielding kept Sangakkara's men at the foot of the table for almost the entire tournament.

Match Meter
CSK KXIP Chennai spinners strike: Ashwin bowls Sangakkara when the batsman tries a sweep, and seven balls later Raina removes Yuvraj. Punjab slump to 93 for 3 after 12 overs
KXIPMarsh and Irfan open out: Bollinger is taken for two sixes in the penultimate over by Marsh, and Irfan slams 15 off the final one to take Punjab to 192
KXIPPowar's wily offspin: Flighted deliveries and big turn help Powar nip out Hayden and Vijay, leaving Chennai gasping at 26 for 2 in the fifth overKXIP CSK Raina powers Chennai: A six and a four from Raina off a Chawla over boosts the run-rate over 9.5 and puts Chennai's chase on trackCSK KXIP Morkel's cameo: VRV Singh is one of the weak links in Punjab's attack, and Morkel makes sure his over isn't wasted by taking 15 off the 18th
CSKDhoni finishes it: Sixteen off the final over is a tough ask but some murderous hitting from Dhoni, sending the ball over long-on, ends the match with two deliveries to spare. Advantage Honours even

the Delhi Daredevils captain, has put down his team's exit from the IPL to its inconsistency. Delhi fell short by 11 runs against Deccan Chargers in what was effectively a quarter-final. Both teams, playing their final league game, needed a win to fill up the fourth semi-final slot, but Delhi, despite restricting Deccan to a gettable 145, faltered in their chase.

"Whenever we have chased, we've lost early wickets. It's been up and down for us, we just haven't played as a team," Gambhir said after the game. "We needed to win two out of five and we lost four out of five, we can't afford to be that inconsistent. Hopefully next year will be a different story."

On the other hand, Deccan, who had been languishing at the bottom of the table with Kings XI Punjab after losing five games in a row, bounced back to win five in five to seal a place in the final four. Adam Gilchrist, their captain, called the fightback a "great team effort".

"We looked these last five games as a mini-tournament in itself, and we have belief in ourselves. It's been a great team effort," Gilchrist said. "Some guys like Symonds and Rohit have been very consistent. Everyone has chipped in their own way. We've managed to finish second, that's a wonderful credit to everyone."

Gilchrist lauded the performance of his bowlers, who kept chipping away at Delhi and defended what seemed like a below-par score with relative ease. "Outstanding game. It's been like this the whole tournament, great courage from out bowlers and they showed great character," he said.

Andrew Symonds was named Man of the Match for his 30-ball 54, which included five sixes. Symonds was dismissed in the 15th over, and the batsmen who followed had struggled to push on but the total they posted proved adequate. "I was pretty disappointed with the way I got out, and I felt responsible for our score," Symonds, who had holed out to long-off, said. "But I am really pleased with the way the boys have picked themselves up. We may not be the most skilful team in the competition but we have a goal.

"At times we may be a little ugly, but we are effective."

They were the IPL's nomads, they needed to win five games in a row to reach the semi-finals, and things looked heavily loaded against them. But Deccan Chargers, the defending champions, made it. On a slow pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla, Andrew Symonds' sparkling 54 gave Deccan a defendable total, which they protected with an inspired fielding performance led by Rohit Sharma and disciplined bowling. Paul Collingwood kept Delhi in the chase until the end but he lacked the firepower, and support, to pull off a victory.


It boiled down to Delhi needing 17 runs in the final over and Chaminda Vaas bowled exceptionally, mixing his slower ones with near-perfect yorkers. Deccan had earlier wobbled at the start before the Symonds show and slowed to a crawl post his fall to reach 145 for 7. It was a slow pitch, better than the previous tracks in Delhi though, and the chase was unlikely to be a stroll for the hosts. And it wasn't.


Rohit, who contributed only 11 the bat, took a couple of breathtaking catches to tilt the game Deccan's way. He flew low to his right at first slip, grabbing a one-hand catch to remove Virender Sehwag. In the seventh over, he flung himself to his left at short midwicket to get rid of Gautam Gambhir. Both his catches, however, were created by clever bowling. Vaas, who replaced Ryan Harris, had deceived Virender Sehwag with a slower off cutter and Pragyan Ojha had beaten Gambhir in flight, forcing him to drag the ball squarer than intended. Between those wickets, Tillakaratne Dilshan had fallen while trying to paddle scoop. The slower one from Harmeet Singh trapped him in front as he moved across.

The loss of three quick wickets had derailed the chase and, considering Paul Collingwood's recent struggles against spin, Delhi depended heavily on Dinesh Karthik. When Mithun Manhas was run out after a mix-up with Collingwood, Delhi needed 78 off 49 deliveries. Karthik entered the fray but didn't last long. The delivery from Ojha landed on middle and off stump and turned just enough to go past Karthik's bat and hit off. Collingwood hung around for a while and was even dropped couple of times by, of all the people, Rohit and Symonds but couldn't finish it off.


It was an inspired bowling performance from Deccan but if it wasn't for a superbly-crafted knock from Symonds, the bowlers would not have had much to defend. The story of their innings was summarised after the first time-out in the tenth over. Amit Mishra bowled with a slip and a silly point to the new batsman Mitchell Marsh, but when Symonds came on strike most fielders were back patrolling the boundary. Delhi were on the attack and knew only one man posed a threat. Marsh preserved his wicket and allowed Symonds to play a fine knock.


Symonds initially reserved his aggression for Amit Mishra. The legspinner troubled Symonds with his googlies, which he picked only off the pitch, but he would time and again counterattack with a muscled hit. He moved down the track to lift a legbreak over long off, followed it by biffing a googly into the same stand and slugged a flighted delivery from outside off over long-on. In between, he edged a legbreak between the keeper and first slip and just when Mishra was seemingly on the ascent, Symonds would break free. Symonds crashed Tillakaratne Dilshan's offbreaks for two sixes and even played a delicate late cut against Paul Collingwood to collect a boundary.


Deccan had reached 116 for 4 in the 15th over and things were set for a final assault when Symonds fell. Mishra had just switched to bowling from round the stumps to Symonds and had his man chipping straight to long off. Delhi applied the squeeze from then on, just as they had done in the first half of the game, but the total proved beyond their reach.

Match Meter

DelhiThe fall of Rohit: Yadav was just struck for two boundaries by Rohit but he got his man with a lovely slower one in the seventh over.Delhi Deccan Symonds v Mishra: Symonds counterattacked to hit Mishra for two sixes and a four. Mishra switched to round the stumps and got his man.
DeccanRohit flies: Rohit juggles to hold on to Warner, dives full length to dismiss Sehwag and tumbles to see off Gambhir. Three catches peg back Delhi.
DeccanKarthik falls: Ojha got one to land on off and middle and spin past the defensive poke to peg back stump. The chase had derailed, Delhi were 72 for 6.
DeccanVaas steps up: Delhi needed 17 from the final over but Vaas mixed his yorkers with slower ones to prevent Collingwood and Nehra from pulling off a heist. Advantage Honours even

Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals captain, has said the inexperience of some players has been a crucial factor in his side's early exit from the tournament. Rajasthan were beaten by eight wickets in a must-win game against Kolkata Knight Riders, depriving them of a semi-final slot for the second successive time, after having won the inaugural edition.

"Inexperience has cost us in certain big moments," Warne said after the game. "When you don't have experience in tough situations you may have some tendency to panic. It is really disappointing not to qualify for the semi-finals."

Rajasthan began the tournament on a poor note, losing their first three games but fought back to win four in a row. But they ended disappointingly, with three consecutive defeats after proving strong contenders for a place in the final four. "To win six games out of eight after losing three in a row shows a lot of character," Warne said. "Unfortunately there was pressure in the last three games and it all boiled down to this one. I think our inexperienced showed."

Rajasthan were restricted to a below-par 132 on a slowish track in Kolkata after Shane Watson had delivered an attacking start, and failed to defend it as a result of a half-century from Sourav Ganguly. "We did not get enough runs after a good start," Warne said. "We tried everything, different field to get a wicket but it did not happen. As captain and coach I take full responsibility. I take full responsibility for three losses in a row."

When asked if he would return for the fourth edition of the IPL next year, Warne said: "I am not sure, to be honest. I think I am still good at captaincy and also bowling pretty well.

"It's a completely different set up next year. It depends whether there will be retention by the franchisees or everyone going up for auction. For me it's all about enjoyment. I think I am fit enough."

Ganguly starred for Kolkata in the field and with the bat, taking a stunning catch to dismiss Yusuf Pathan and following it up with an unbeaten 75 to steer his team home. The win keeps Kolkata's semi-final hopes alive, though they need to beat Mumbai Indians and wish for other results to go their way to qualify. "We have played some outstanding cricket, have been poor at times like the game against Punjab and Bangalore recently. We lost the way. We have let important moments slip out also," Ganguly said.

Kolkata had lost Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle early in their chase, but an unbeaten 111-run stand between Ganguly and Cheteshwar Pujara saw them through. Kolkata needed to win big, but pair opted for a game of caution before opening up following the time-out to ensure victory with 23 balls to spare. "It was a difficult wicket, it was turning and stopping also. We lost two wickets, we needed to build a partnership," Ganguly said. "First think about winning the game before thinking about the run-rate. If we don't win the game then run-rate does not matter."

Kolkata Knight Riders' convincing win against Rajasthan Royals has considerably altered the equations for the semi-final slots in IPL 2010. Mumbai Indians are obviously through, while Royal Challengers Bangalore are safe as well despite their comprehensive defeat: their net run-rate (NRR) of 0.219 is too good for them to be pushed out of the top four. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan are out, but the others all have to wait a little bit longer for their fate to be decided. Here's a look at where teams stand, and how they can progress to the semi-finals.

Delhi Daredevils: If Chennai Super Kings beat Punjab in the first match, then Delhi will face a must-win situation against Deccan Chargers. For, if Delhi lose, Deccan, Chennai and Bangalore will all sail through and join Mumbai. (Chennai's NRR will obviously be better than Delhi's if they win.)

If Chennai lose, though, it'll require a couple of extraordinary results for Delhi to be knocked out: Deccan and Kolkata will need to win their last games by huge margins. For example, if Deccan score 200 and win by 60 runs, and if Kolkata score 200 and win by 75 runs, Kolkata's NRR will inch ahead of Delhi's, in which case Mumbai, Bangalore, Deccan and Kolkata will make the cut. That seems pretty unlikely, so the big game for Delhi will be the one between Chennai and Punjab.

Deccan Chargers: Deccan's NRR of -0.363 is their biggest worry, and the reason they can't relax even though they have 14 points. A win will obviously take them through, but if they lose they'll need the results in the other two matches to go their way - Chennai losing to Punjab and Kolkata to Mumbai. Then, the teams which have the highest points now - Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Deccan - will be the semi-finalists.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Kolkata's emphatic win against Rajasthan has revived their hopes, but they still depend on other results going their way. If Chennai beat Punjab, Kolkata are out. Apart from Punjab beating Chennai, Kolkata's job will also become much simpler if Delhi beat Deccan; then, they'll only need to go past Deccan's NRR, which is currently -0.363 (and it might go down further if they lose to Delhi). If Deccan win, on the other hand, Kolkata will have to go past Delhi's NRR to make the cut, which will be a much tougher task.

Chennai Super Kings: Their situation is the most clear-cut: win, and go through to the semi-finals; lose, and pack your bags and go home.