IPL 2018 Highlights: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Dhoni powers CSK

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Pune, May 5: The match resembled a gripping bout in which boxers looking for that precise moment to land the knockout blow. For Chennai Super Kings, that moment came in the 18th over - a situation from where they needed 22 runs.

There was a bit of turn for spinners throughout this match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here and knowing that Royal Challengers skipper Virat Kohli brought on leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. He had conceded seven runs off his previous two overs. But Chennai Super Kings had that man with icy nerves - MS Dhoni.

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What does he do then? Just smoke three sixes, including one off a free-hit, to kill the game and help Chennai Super Kings emerge a six-wicket winner on Saturday (May 5) and for the time being they top the table with 14 points and that could change after Sunrisers Hyderabad match against Delhi Daredevils later in the night. Dhoni made an unbeaten 31 off 23 balls with a four and three sixes. Immense in the context of a tight game.

In the company of Dwayne Bravo, who led a charmed life as he got two reprieves at 0 and 1, Dhoni added 48 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket stand that ended all the ifs and buts surrounded the match.

The Pune pitch was slow and run-making was not all that easy. Even a target of 128 looked much more than that on the surface and Chennai Super Kings had to go through some strife before eventually reaching home. Umesh Yadav took the pitch out of equation with a yorker that clocked a shade over 141 kmph to castle Shane Watson.

But Ambati Rayudu (32, 25b, 3x4, 2x6) and Suresh Raina (25, 21b, 2x4, 1x6) milked 44 runs for the second wicket that took Chennai Super Kings 62 in 8.4 overs, a foundation that stood in stead for Super Kings in the chase of a low target.

And the blame for allowing Chennai Super Kings a relatively comfortable chase should go to Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen. Of course, the pitch was a bit slow and shot-making not easy as usual on some other days.

But they showed no application and kept on rolling out ludicrous shots to get out and at other times the Chennai Super Kings bowlers bowled a couple of peaches to earn their wickets. None stood out better than the arm ball that crashed through the defence of Virat Kohli.

Ravindra Jadeja, who has been sharply criticised for the two back-to-back drops of Sunil Narine in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, managed to cramp Kohli for room and his attempt to cut resulted only in a rearranged furniture.

There was no celebration and Jadeja looked almost apologetic - perhaps a silent reply to the critics. Dare to write me off?

Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh too was in his elements at the other end and he winkled out the returning AB de Villiers. The South African went for a reverse sweep, and seeing it early Harbhajan tossed up his off-spinner to beat the downcoming bat and Dhoni did the rest of the job behind the stumps in a flash. Jadeja and Harbhajan took five wickets for 40 runs from eight combined overs.

With two of their batting heavyweights back in the dug out contributing nothing, the onus fell on other batsmen to blunt Chennai Super Kings bowlers. Only Parthiv Patel, who opened the innings, was up to the task. The diminutive left-hander made a fine fifty (53 off 41 balls with five fours and two sixes).

Parthiv's innings, marked by his timing and footwork, was a signboard for other RCB batsmen. The way Parthiv made room against Harbhajan to cut him for a couple of players showed how to make runs on this pitch.

But there was no takers for Parthiv's approach in Royal Challengers line-up and Chennai Super Kings managed to eke out a win and walk closer to a play-off berth.