Pune 134-3 after 20 overs
Ryder 73, Smith 44
Super win for PWI. all credit to Smith. Great shots in the end and he needed just 22 balls for his 44 with 4 fours and 3 sixes. He managed to hit the big shots when Pune needed them and has performed that role superbly for PWI this season. Point to note: he wasn’t picked up in the auction. Ryder was brilliant too. Their partnership was 66 runs in 40 balls. He stayed till the end and helped finish things off. No matter what Smith did in the end, it all started with the Samuels-Ryder fight. All credit to them. Just kidding. But great game. The IPL can use more of this.
Pune 134-3 after 18 overs
Ryder 71, Smith 24
Smith hitting the big shots — a six and four off consecutive balls in the over from Bravo evened things out. But one big over or one bad over could settle this. As Shastri would say: This is going down to the wire.
Pune 117-3 after 16 overs
Ryder 67, Smith 11
Great knock by Ryder. He really is starting to turn it on and for a big man, he is coping with the heat very well. Smith is going for the big shot too. Pune Warriors require another 39 runs with 7 wickets and 24 balls remaining. Meanwhile, looks like no one wants to win the fair play award: Ganguly glares at Ryder; Ryder fights with Samuels, Ashwin the same with Smith. War!
Pune 90-3 after 12.4 overs
MN Samuels b Mahesh 8 (15b)
Samuels and Ryder had an argument just before the start of the over and Ryder wasn’t happy at all. A big show of emotion and anger. Next thing you know, Samuels is out clean bowled and Ryder just turns his back at him. Wow. That was some drama. Fight on the same team? Bring it on.
Pune 81-2 after 11 overs
Ryder 45, Samuels 6
Pune and CSK are locked in a dead heat at the moment. CSK were in a similar position while batting but at this stage, PWI hold the advantage, they know what they have to do. And that means they can plan better.
Pune 65-2 after 8.2 overs
S Ganguly run out 16 (16b, 1×4)
Never run off a misfield. That’s what they say. They should probably add that if you are Dada, don’t bother with the second run at all. Throughout the innings, both batsmen had been putting up their hand as soon as they ran the first single, this time Ganguly wanted the second. The throw from the deep was too good though.
Pune 56-1 after 6 overs
Ganguly 12, Ryder 32
Ganguly starts off with a classic off-drive to get himself off the mark on the very first ball. The Pune skipper looks pretty assured today, coming in to bat at one-down. Ryder on the other seems to be in the mood for a big innings. After his early fireworks, he has scored another couple of boundaries: one running away past fine-leg and the other a hard punch past extra cover.
Uthappa was chosen to open the Pune innings. AFP
WICKET! Pune 31-1 after 3 overs
Robin Uthappa run out 10 (7)
Very unlucky for Uthappa. Ryder has smashed three boundaries in three balls, all wristy and finding the gaps on the on-side but then he decides to take a quick two and Uthappa is just short of ground. He won’t be happy departing so early.
Pune 16-0 after 2 overs
Ryder 5, Uthappa 10
Ganguly is not opening, instead entrusting the responsibility to Uthappa. The batsman has responded well by easily flicking a six off his pads and over mid-wicket. That was pure timing. Faf Du Plessis meanwhile, is wearing an orange cap and orange glasses. He is now the tournament’s top scorer.
Pune Warriors come out to bat
Chennai 155-5 after 20 overs
Morkel 3, Dravo 5
Nothing special in that last over apart from a lucky four for Bravo after he got a thick-edge and the ball ran away past the keeper. This is a good batting performance from CSK and they never looked as if they were in danger of losing all their wickets or posting a low total. Pune may still fancy this one with the pitch offering little to the bowlers, but they need to bat from the front and start on a good footing.
WICKET! Chennai 148-5 after 19.2 overs
MS Dhoni c Kartik b Dinda 26 (28)
Ravindra Jadeja c Smith b Nehra 44 (26)
Dhoni goes for a big shot over long-off but finds Kartik running towards that one to take a comfortable running catch. A couple of balls later, Jadeja tries to slog on the leg-side but Steve Smith has gauged the distance perfectly and takes a good catch in the deep. That was a fantastic innings from Jadeja though, with four fours and a couple of huge sixes. Job done for him.
Chennai 129-3 after 17 overs
Dhoni 22, Jadeja 30
Jadeja has started slogging now. One of his shots takes a top edge and flies away for four but the one before that was simply brilliant. He picked up the full-toss early and could have swung at it but remains calm, finds an obvious gap in the cover region and it runs away for four.
Chennai 106-3 after 14 overs
Dhoni 14, Jadeja 15
Jadeja is not waiting for anybody. The two-million-dollar man cracks a four past long-off before heaving a sixer which sails over long-on’s head. Both the shots are full of intent as he comes down the track and connects well. With Dhoni on the other end doing the intelligent running, Chennai seem to coasting for a formidable total.
WICKET! Chennai 86-3 after 11.3 overs
Suresh Raina c Smith b Sharma 20 (19)
Raina has looked to attack from the off and finds the perfect full delivery to do so. He slaps a low flat shot and it seems to be clearing the boundary until Smith’s hands reach out and pluck the ball from thin air. Raina is dissapointed, Sharma…delighted.
WICKET! Chennai 67-2 after 9.1 overs
Faf du Plessis st Uthappa b Sharma 43 (33)
Sharma strikes in the very first ball of his over! His spinning delivery has turn and sharp unexpected bounce, catching the big-hitter off balance and allowing Uthappa to knock the bails off. Good stumping and Du Plessis will be unhappy he could not turn that one into a greater innings.
Chennai 67-1 after 9 overs
Du Plessis 43, Raina 14
First it was Du Plessis and not it is Raina. The southpaw has scored a couple of beautiful boundaries to quickly settle down. On the other, Du Plessis is looking to hit everything in his way.
Chennai won the toss and elected to bat first. AFP
WICKET! Chennai 43-1 after 6.1 overs
Murali Vijay c Dinda b Mathews 8 (11)
Du Plessis was absolutely killing it on one end and Murali Vijay was struggling for confidence. He finally gives in to the lure of a big shot but ends up delicately chipping it straight to deep square-leg.
Chennai 31-0 after 4 overs
Vijay 4, Du Plessis 27
Ashish Nehra has been taken for a ride. Literally. Du Plessis lets loose, smashing the bowler for three boundaries past extra-cover and a huge six over his head. The fielders look on haplessly…Nehra has nowhere to look but down. Great batting show.
Chennai 8-0 after 2 overs
Vijay 0, Du Plessis 8
Great start for Du Plessis— starting the second over with a massive six pulled away towards the on-side. It comes more as a surprise because he virtually defended every delivery of the first over.
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bat first
Pune Warriors: Jesse Ryder, Sourav Ganguly, Marlon Samuels, Robin Uthappa, Ashok Dinda, Mithun Manhas, Steve Smith, Rahul Sharma, Murali Kartik, Ashish Nehra
Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yo Mahesh
