all over. Raina's got the legend, and he has two wickets in three balls. Chennai are knocking on the doors of the play-offs. @ImRaina tosses it up outside off, @Warne888 smears it high over mid-off, and @newbigdog at long-off holds it easy.
On that note, goodbye and goodluck from Cricinfo towers. Join us for the double-header tomorrow. On behalf of our gang, this is Nitin Sundar signing off. On your way out, here is Sid Ravi's bulletin. Cheers!
And a late hat-tip to Sunil: "Bravo is from Lara's hometown and idolises him . Lara is known as Bigdog in Trinidad , so Bravo calls himself Newbigdog."
Shashank's comment is the closing shot for the day: "So CSK makes another semi. Yawn. Tell me something new."
Presentations time:
M Vijay is Man of the Match: "I was hitting the ball well, I just wanted to stay there and keep going. Suresh, Hussey and Dhoni did really well too."
Dhoni: "Good to be in the reckoning for the play-offs without leaving it for too late. It looked like a 180-190 runs wicket, we had one extra batsman, which allowed us to go harder. I pushed myself up, and glad that I scored the runs. The batting was poor in the last game, but the platform was good this time from Hussey and Vijay, and Raina capitalised."
Warne: "One of those things today, due to the small boundary.. all credit to Chennai, and Dhoni in the end. It had nothing to do with the wicket, we were chasing 20 too many and it got difficult. Our next game at home against Bangalore is massive, hope to win that one and give us a chance. Good stuff from Rahane, great to see him come through and do well." Champion stuff from Warne, not making a big deal out of the pitch change.
Kavin: "@ Jay... Required Run rate is like velocity.. the speed at which the runs should be scored... runs is like distance... it is all physics, my friend!"
PB: "Did you notice that May 22 determines how the last 4 would pan out on the table determining Champ.league qualifiers with all the 4 most-possible semifinalists of IPL4 playing tht day? CSK-RCB and MI-KKR!" Who knows, the same two match-ups might be played out against in the play-offs.
Siva shares that Jakati gem from 2009. Click here.
Jay: "How can the required run rate be 128 when all they needed was a mere 64 from the last three balls??" Blame it on the government, I say! Or mathematics...
It was a case of Chennai's batting throwing Rajasthan out of gear on a pitch that clearly did not suit the home side. Chennai leap over KKR to No. 2 in the points table. RCB are fourth. Chris Gayle won't like that one bit. That's bad news for the next team Bangalore is playing. And that happens to be Rajasthan. Here in Jaipur. Returning to the slow and low middle strip will be a wise idea. And then, prayers.
defended down the track, first up.
Warne comes out to bat.
Raina's turn to pull off another stunner. Tossed up outside off, Amit Singh hits it right back to the left of Raina, and it was travelling. Raina leapt across like a 'tracer bullet' and pouched it in one hand. Spectacular.
Raina comes on now.
you just have to love Bollinger! The scorecard will say Botha c & b Bollinger, but that's not even half the story. Another bouncer, Botha top-edges this time and it pops right up. Bollinger calls for it and races down the track on his follow through. He takes it behind the stumps, next to Dhoni, and then lunges forward and tumbles and rolls like the very epitome of clumsiness. Dhoni watches with a half smile. All's Well, of course!
Amit Singh works a single to midwicket and hands it over to Botha.
Bolly puts Yagnik out of his misery with a thunderous yorker. Full, fast, gunning for leg stump and Yagnik's rituals in front of the stumps don't do much to deviate it off its course. Bollinger doesn't celebrate, he just walks back to his mark, while Yagnik walks back to the hut.
Yagnik top-edges the pull this time, awry as they come. Morkel moved slowly across from midwicket towards wide mid-on, but did not get close to it.
short ball, Yagnik is so late on the pull, he plays it straight back down the track.
beaten by the pace outside off, Yagnik fishes nervously inside the line.
how does one get Ashwin to go for runs? 4-0-24-2 today, as Yagnik poushes a single to retain strike.
again, he's stuck on the back foot and can't get it away.
Yagnik can't negotiate the turn as Ashwin breaks it away from off stump line.
Raut. Is out. All over, bar the shout. Chennai's fielding has been the personification of a curate's egg today. Ashwin lands this well outside off, Raut heaves from there to the leg side and midwicket had to run in to field it. Botha wanted a second, Rahane's run like the wind today, but this time he was caught short after responding late. The throw went to Ashwin, who collected and hurled down the stumps at the batsman's end. All over.
Raut keeps swinging. Couple of runs in front of square.
flat from Ashwin outside off, Botha gets it away to point for a single.
Kamesh: "Give it to Jakati guys. He was bluffing, and bluffing is not cheating." Anyone remember Jakati's misfield v DC in the 2009 IPL? For me, the most hilarious IPL moment ever.
Raut backs away too far and then can't make contact with a full ball well outside off.
slower ball, offcutter on the pads, Botha pushes down to wide mid-on for one.
what a day for Botha to lose his timing. Back of a length outside off, slashes hard and hits thin air.
fuller this time, Raut mistimes the swing to the leg side, and gets a single.
Raut has been there 10 minutes or so, around nine of those lying down in pain, and yet produced two astounding shots. Another short ball from Bolly, Raut waits as it rises over middle and off, opens the face and taps it along over Dhoni's head between third man and fine leg.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | |
Toss | Rajasthan Royals, elected to field first |
Series | |
Season | 2011 |
Player Of The Match | |
Hours of play (local time) | 20.00 start, First Session 20.00-21.20, Interval 21.20-21.40, Second Session 21.40-23.00 |
Match days | 9 May 2011 - night (20-over match) |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee | |
Points | Chennai Super Kings 2, Rajasthan Royals 0 |
Over 20 • RR 133/10