Matthew Hayden and little friend hurt Delhi

India, say hello to the Mongoose, the shorter, thicker bat with the longer handle. Matthew Hayden, you already know, but might have forgotten momentarily after his ordinary start to the tournament. On Friday, the two combined in deadly manner. Hayden smacked 93 off 43 to almost single-handedly chase down Delhi Daredevils' 185. Delhi's innings featured a similarly dominant effort.

Delhi, and their new captain Dinesh Karthik, will wonder if they brought Dirk Nannes back too late - in the 13th over , and will also ask themselves why the bouncer was not tried against the Mongoose. Not as if Hayden necessarily needed the new bat to cause wreckage.

By the time he called out for the Mongoose, Hayden had smashed four boundaries in nine balls already, which must have given him the confidence to call for the newest beast in town. Not as if Hayden necessarily needed the new bat to hit the five fours and seven sixes that followed in the next 34 deliveries he faced.

It was hitting so clean that it perhaps didn't need the rumoured 20% extra power on most of the occasions. Only the second of three sixes in Dilshan's over - the eighth of the innings - did he mis-hit, but the ball managed to sail over wide long-on. That six also brought up his fifty, off 24 balls, and by the end of the over, he had reached 61, and Chennai 85.

More down-the-ground carnage followed in the next four overs, and Hayden had reached 87 off 37 and Chennai needed just 57 off 48 when Nannes was called back. A tight over later, Hayden hit Amit Mishra powerfully down the ground, and Dilshan ran in and caught it inches off the ground. Would it have carried had it been hit with a normal bat?