IPL 2012: Chennai vs Pune: As it happened...

Zeenews Sports Bureau

Chennai:In spite of having scored 20 to 30 runs short of what they would have liked to on their home ground, Chennai Super Kings defeated Pune Warriors India by 13 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai. Live Score »I Points table » 11:46 pm 20th over: 151/7 Bravo to bowl the last over. Mathews is gone!That could be the final nail in the coffin for Pune. A full toss bowled by Bravo. Mathews moved on the off side to create some room as the ball dipped down and crashed on to the stumps. Very poor shot selection from the Sri Lankan. Chennai win by 13 runs. AD Mathews b Bravo 27 (22b) 11:39 pm 19th over: 144/6 Bollinger to bowl. Pune need to get the maximum from this over. The first delivery is played by Mathews on the off-side for a single. Smith is OUT! Huge blow for Pune Length ball from Bollinger, Smith tries to hit it flat over the mid-on fielder, fails and du Plessis in that area takes a good catch. Bhuvneshwar Kumar faces the last ball and Mathews doesn’t take a single. 21 needed off the last 6 balls. SPD Smith c du Plessis b Bollinger 22 (21b) 11:33 pm 18th over: 140/5 Bravo comes into the attack. Begins with a yorker, Smith plays it for a couple on the leg side. Follows it with another Yorker, this time played just for a single. The third delivery is a full toss which is played straight down the ground for a couple. In spite of a slippery outfield, the CSK players are making commendable fielding efforts in the outfield. 11:33 pm 18th over: 140/5 Bravo comes into the attack. Begins with a yorker, Smith plays it for a couple on the leg side. Follows it with another Yorker, this time played just for a single. The third delivery is a full toss which is played straight down the ground for a couple. In spite of a slippery outfield, the CSK players are making commendable fielding efforts in the outfield. 11:28 pm 17th over: 130/5 Jadeja to continue. Pune are desperately looking for boundaries here. Singles won’t help them. Good over from Chennai, it produces just six runs. Both these batsmen will have to change gears from here on. 11:20 pm 16th over: 124/5 Ashwin to continue. And he bowls a NO BALL, free hit coming up Mathews to face. And he smashes it towards deep mid on for a boundary. 4 wides now Dhoni wasn’t able to collect the ball and he was not happy on that occasion. A very good over for Pune, 17 runs from it. Smith 14(14b) Mathews 16(12) 11:14 pm 15th over: 107/5 Jadeja to continue. A run-out appeal but Smith is well safe. No boundaries in that over. 14th over: 100/5 Ashwin is brought back into the attack. Samuels perishes! Ashwin tosses the ball up and Samuels tries to hit it over the fielder on the off-side and is caught. Angelo Mathews is the new batsman. MN Samuels c Kulasekara b Ashwin 26 (24b 13th over: 96/4 Bravo comes into the attack. Smith takes a single off the first ball. Bravo pitches a short ball to Samuels which is powered towards square leg for a Six!! Smith plays the fifth delivery for a couple towards third-man. 11:00 pm 12th over: 85/4 Jakati to continue. Samuels charges down the track off the first ball and goes straight down the ground for a couple. Jakati offers some width next ball, and Samuels slashes it past point for a boundary. Samuels once again shimmies down the track and goes straight down the ground for another boundary. Good over for Pune. 13 runs from it. 10:57 pm 11th over: 72/4 Jadeja to continue. No boundaries in that over. The required run rate is increasing. 10:53 pm 10th over: 65/4 Jakati to continue. Beats Samuels once with some spin and bounce. The next delivery he charges down the track and gets an inside edge for a single. Not that good shot selection on this occasion by Ganguly. Charges down the track aiming to clear the mid wicket region, ends up hitting it high in the air and Kulasekara at mid-off takes a very easy catch. Sourav Ganguly c Kulasekara 24(26b) Time for the strategic timeout. 9th over: 61/3 Jadeja into the attack. Good over for Chennai, just two runs from it. 10:43 pm 8th over: 59/3 Jakati comes into the attack. He bowls with a very accurate line. Just four runs from that over. Ganguly 23(22b) Samuels 2(5b) 10:40 pm 7th over: 55/3 Bravo comes into the attack. And gets a breakthrough straight away! Pandey tries to clear mid on but Badrinath takes a great running catch. That has to be one of the best we have seen in IPL 2012. Marlon Samuels is the new batsman. Bravo ends the over with a good bouncer. 10:32 pm 6th over: 53/2 Bollinger is brought back into the attack. Dada smacks him over the empty fine leg area, once again Clever shot from the Pune skipper! Bollinger is bowling a barrage of short balls to Ganguly, that seems to be the plan for Chennai. four byes for PuneKulasekara aims at the stumps and there is no one to back it. Bollinger tries to bowl a Yorker that ends up being a low full toss and Ganguly flicks it in the leg side for a boundary. Another length ball by Bollinger and Ganguly clears the gap towards deep midwicket. Ganguly is looking good here! 10:27 pm 5th over: 35/2 Ashwin comes into the attack. Once again bowls five good balls then Pandey clobbers his length ball over long on for a DLF maximum! Top shot! 10:24 pm 4th over: 26/2 Kulasekara to continue. Ryder charges down the track and misses, that was very close to the stumps. The next delivery is a boundary, beautiful straight driver by Ryder. Ryder is gone! A touch short from Kulasekara and Ryder pulls it towards deep midwicket where Bravo takes a good diving catch. Bravo doesn’t forget to shake his hips after that catch. Both the openers are back in the pavilion. Manish Pandey is the new batsman. Ryder c Dwayne Bravo b Nuwan Kulasekara 9(10) 10:18 pm 3rd over: 22/1 Ashwin comes into the attack. He manages to bowl a tight line till the last ball which Ganguly cleverly plays at short fine leg boundary. 10:15 2nd over: 15/1 Kulasekara comes into the attack. The first delivery is a half volley and Uthappa drives it for a boundary. Uthappa departs!Uthappa charged down the track and Ashwin takes a very good catch at mid-off, this is a big wicket for CSK. Ganguly is the new batsman. Robin Uthappa c Ashwin b Kulasekara 8 (5b) 10:00 pm 1st over: 9/0 Bollinger to bowl the first over. A leading edged from Uthappa’s bat flies for a boundary towards third man. Ryder gets off the mark in style with a beautiful shot towards mid-wicket region. Pune Warriors need 165 to win in 20 overs. At one stage it looked line Chennai will cross 200-run mark, but the Pune bowlers did well and thus they should begin on a positive note. 09:48 pm 20th over: 164/5 Samuels to bowl the last over. And Jadeja gets off the mark with a DLF maximum! Takes a single and Dhoni is on strike! And he repeats the helicopter shot, a copy of what won the World Cup! Dhoni gives a similar expression as well. And that second six was out of the park. Samuels replies with a Yorker, of no use, as Dhoni brings his bottom hand into play and scores a boundary of the leg-side. Jadeja to face the last ball as Dhoni takes a single of the penultimate delivery. Jadeja is out on the last ball! Jadeja tries to smash the last ball over deep mid wicket boundary, but the ball lands safely into the hands of Rahul Sharma. RA Jadeja c Sharma b Samuels 7 (3b 09:43 pm 19th over: 146/4 Nehra to continue. Bravo departs, caught by Mathews once again. Ashish Nehra offers some width and Bravo slashes it hard and is back to the pavilion. Dhoni smacks the last delivery over the bowlers head for a flat boundary with his helicopter shot. That went like a tracer bullet! 09:36 pm 18th over: 137/3 Sharma to continue. Bowls a tight line. Manages to contain runs for five balls. Bravo hits the last delivery over long off for a DLF maximum! 09:32 pm 17th over: 125/3 Nehra comes back into the attack. The big fish, Suresh Raina is OUT! Short ball by Nehra, doesn’t find the middle of the bat and Murli Kartik who had enough time manages to grab it inches above the ground at fine leg. Dwayne Bravo is the new batsman. Nehra manages to contro the run flow till the fifth ball, the last one is just a touch full and Dhoni, with all his power clear the deep midwicket region for a boundary. SK Raina c Kartik b Nehra 0 (2b) 09:26 pm 16th over: 116/2 du Plessis perishes as he lofts one towards leg-side, the ball goes high in the air and Mathwes from deep square-leg runs to take a good low catch! Badrinath departs as well. Both the set batsmen are back in the pavilion. This time caught again by Mathews but it’s an easy catch at mid-wicket. Both the openers are out. Raina and Dhoni are the new batsmen at the crease. F du Plessis c Mathews b Samuels 58 (48b) S Badrinath c Mathews b Samuels 57 (48b 09:20 pm 15th over: 115/0 Kumar to continue. Ganguly drops another one, tough chance Badrinath plays another delivery high as a running Ganguly gets his hands on to the ball but is not able to hold on to it. Dada looks in some pain as he lies on the ground. He undergoes some treatment and seems to be ok now. Kartik bowls a very short ball and Badrinath pulls it over backward square leg. Badrinath reaches fifty with a boundary between midwicket and long on for a boundary. Another boundary scored by Badrinath towards third-man. Good over for CSK. Time for second strategic timeout. 09:11 pm 14th over: 100/2 Kartik is brought back into the attack. Uthappa again misses a stumping He removed the bails while the ball slipped out of his hands, Badrinath was well outside the crease. Pune are not holding on to the chances. Du Plessis shimmies down the track and smashes one over long on for a DLF maximum! 98 runs opening partnership, the highest in IPL 2012. CSK reach 100 without loss! Time to change the gears may be. 09: 07 pm 13th over: 89/0 Sharma is back into the attack. Continues to bowl a tight line as both the batsmen struggle to find boundaries. du Plessis reaches fifty There was a run out appeal of the last delivery, the third umpire took his time and rejects the appeal giving the benefit of doubt to the batsman. Faf de Plessis 51 (43) Badrinath 37(35b) 08:59 pm 12th over: 83/0 Samuels replaces Nehra. Samuels is bolwer quicker as he always does and batsmen in spite of charging down the track . Missed stumping by Uthappa and 4 runs! de Plessis again shimmies down the track as the ball beats him, Uthappa and goes for 4! 08:54 11th over: 74/0 Kartik comes back into the attack. Six singles from that over. 08:51 pm 10th over: 68/0 Nehra is brought back into the attack. Pune desperately need wicket here! Du Plessis dropped by Ganguly Nehra bowled a short ball as du Plessis tried to pull and didn’t connect it with the middle of his bat, Ganguly at mid wicket was sloppy as the ball fell near him. Just four singles from the over. 08:45 pm 9th over: 64/0 Sharma continues. Du Plessis gives himself from room and plays the fourth ball between between extra cover and long off for a boundary. Badrinath29(26b) Faf du Plessis 33(28b) Time for the first strategic timeout. 08:38 pm 8th over: 55/0 Angelo Mathews replaces Kumar. Badrinath plays a very fine paddle sweep of the first delivery that runs past fine leg for a boundary. Badrinath slams the last ball over cow corner for another boundary. 08:34 pm 7th over: 42/0 Rahul Sharma comes into the attack. He too would like to start fresh without even thinking of what Gayle did to him in the last match. He bowls four dot balls with a lot of variation as du Plessis fails to connect it. Just one run from the over. 08:30 pm 6th over: 41/0 Kumar continues and dep Plessis has had enough. Pitches on the full and de Plessis uses his feet and clobbers it over mid on for the first DLF maximum! Good shot that! De Plessis again shimmies down the track and finds the gap between mid off and extra cover. Not a bad ball, but some great footwork results into another boundary. Kumar balls a no ball, free hit coming up Badrinath faces it and fails to connect, manages just a single. 08:24 pm 5th over: 28/0 Marlon Samuels comes into the attack. A hostile welcome by Badrinath, pitched on the full and Badri smashes it over mid-off for a boundary. Now Samuels offers some width and Badrinath cracks it towards point for another boundary. He is also using the pace of Samuels. Two boundaries followed by two singles and two dot balls. 08:20 pm 4th over: 17/0 Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes into the attack. Kartik at first slip drops de Plessis! It was a tough chance as the ball took an inside edge and went towards first slip where Kartik was moving towards his right and could not hold on to the ball. The last ball took another inside edge and went past third-man for a boundary. 08:16 pm 3rd over: 9/0 Kartik continues. The second delivery almost gets him the first breakthrough! A beautiful ball by Kartik, pitches it on the leg from where it takes a sharp turn and reaches the gloves of Uthappa who appeals for stumping. Referred to the third umpire and it has been rejected. A maiden over by Kartik, very tight line and pressure has been build. 08:11 pm 2nd over: 9/0 Ashish Nehra comes into the attack. He would like to start fresh and forget what happened against Bangalore. Nehra bowls three dot balls followed by an excellent bouncer which takes Badrinath by surprise. Great start from Nehra, two runs from the over. 08:06 pm 1st over: 7/0 Murli Kartik begins the proceedings for Pune. Badrinath and du Plessis open for Chennai. It’s a quick outfield. Kartik offers some width and Badrinath cuts the fourth delivery towards deep backward point for the first boundary of the innings. Toss Pune Warriors won the toss and they have decided to bowl first. Defending Champions Chennai Super Kings who have had a horrible IPL 2012 so far will be keen to get back in the rhythm as they face Ganguly-led Pune Warriors India on their home ground in Chennai on Thursday.