The difference between the winning Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore was decidedly an innings that separated the best from the rest. It came from a man virtually forced to retire from Australian cricket on the back of poor form.
Matthew Hayden played an outstanding innings of sixty-five from thirty-five balls to shut the challenge for the RCB team, riding high after their first win in the IPL 2 two days ago.
Kevin Pietersen tasted what defeat felt like for Rahul Dravid last year. The RCB team failed to rein in Hayden who KP decided to label ‘genius’ later in a bid to deflect attention perhaps on the fact that the RCB bowlers were not up to the task on the day.
The mandatory break did provide the breakthrough but by then, Hayden and Parthiv Patel built on an opening partnership of 106 that was later propelled further by Andrew Flintoff’s twenty-two after Suresh Rain sparkled briefly. It meant CSK were pushed to 179 in Port Elizabeth, in a realm considered virtually impossible.
Jacques Kallis did try to inject some momentum into the RCB innings but Albie Morkel had the final say on that. the RCB soon developed a tail spin for the worse, reminiscent of the first IPL season where they appeared virtually clueless.
Apart from Kallis, Dravid had the next double digit figure by the RCB had already spiralled into a dark hole at seven down for sixty-six and it was only a matter of time before Muttiah Muralitharan’s three wickets meant that the RCB shut shop early on eighty-seven.
IPL 2 Game 4: KKR Shown the Door by Charging Deccans
IPL Game 3: Daredevils Have One on the Kings
IPL Game 2: RCB and Rahul Spring One on Rajasthan
IPL Game 1: Chennai Routed By Mumbai
IPL 2 Parade: Carnival in Pictures
Tendulkar Would Have Loved to Play Twenty20 for Team India
Warne: the ICC has no Common Sense!
IPL 2: Twenty20 With a Long Commercial Break!
Buchanan: My Theory was Misinterpreted “>
IPL 2: A Trip in Vain For Kaif and Some
IPL : New Demands on the Modern Day Cricketers
RCB Change Cheerleaders, Threaten to Get Bolder
Sehwag: Don’t Want to Open; Bhajji: Critics Should Shut up
Sachin Will Wax Eloquent in Tussaud’s
Warne: Tricks As Always Up his Sleeve
Buchanan upsets Captaincy Status Quo; Modi hijacks SAfor grandiose IPL safari
KKR Bosses Hold Emergency Meeting with Dada, Buchanan
