IPL PIX: Super Kings sink Royal Challengers to go top

Images from the Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, in Sharjah, on Friday.

• SCORECARD

Chennai Super Kings moved to the top of the Indian Premier League after a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Sharjah, on Friday.

Put in to bat, Royal Challengers Bangalore put up 156 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, former champions Chennai Super Kings overhauled the target in just 18.1 overs.

Ruturaj Gaekwad (38) and Faf du Plessis (31) put on 71 runs for the first wicket to set the tone for Chennai's comfortable chase.

Earlier, RCB were off to a flying start as skipper Virat Kohli (53) and Devdutt Padikkal (70) laid a solid foundation with a stand of 111 runs for the opening wicket.

Kohli (53 off 41 balls) fell to the seasoned Dwayne Bravo after scoring six boundaries and a six, while Padikkal (70 off 50) hit five fours and three maximums before being dismissed by Shardul Thakur.

Following the opening pair’s exit, Royal Challengers lost their way.

India pacer Thakur finished with impressive figures of 2 for 29 from his quota of four overs, while Bravo bowled excellently, picking 3 for 24.

The victory took CSK’s points' tally to 14 from 9 games, while RCB have 10 from 9 and occupy the third spot in the eight-team table.

CSK are placed above Delhi Capitals, who also have 14 points, but the yellow brigade has a better net run-rate of 1.185, compared to 0.613 of the Delhi team.

While it was CSK's second consecutive win for CSK, the RCB lost both the games post the league's resumption.

Gaikwad and Du Plessis added 71 runs in 8.2 overs and later Moeen Ali (23) and Ambati Rayudu (32) also got starts but could not convert those into big knocks.

Suresh Raina (17) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (11) ensured that there was no twist in the tale, taking the side past the finish line.

Neither Mohammed Siraj nor Navdeep Saini could trouble the CSK openers. Whether the ball was pitched up, short or bowled at good length, Gaikwad and his Protea partner treated them with equal disdain.

Gaikwad punched the ball hard and even reverse swept with ease before Kohli pulled off a stunning low catch off wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

Realising that spinners may turn the game around, Kohli handed the ball to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell and the Australian responded with the wicket of du Plessis, who was guilty of playing a loose shot.

However, Rayudu and Moeen did not show any respect to the slow bowlers. They worked the ball around to keep the scoreboard moving and also got the big shots. 

Earlier, skipper Virat Kohli and young Devdutt Padikkal struck brisk half-centuries in an impressive 111-run stand before Chennai Super King fought back to restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Kohli (53) and Padikkal (70) went hammer and tongs after the Royal Challengers were asked to take first strike. But once the partnership was broken by Dwayne Bravo, they lost the momentum and allowed the Super Kings to wrest control.

RCB could score only 45 runs in the remaining 6.4 overs after being in a position from where they could have pushed for a score in the vicinity of 200.

Bravo's bowling made a huge difference to the conclusion of the RCB innings as he conceded only 24 runs in his four overs while taking the wickets of Glenn Maxwell (11) and Harshal Patel (3).

Chennai Super Kings had no dearth of quality bowlers as Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood opened the attack, but Bangalore openers Kohli and Padikkal went about striking the ball cleanly.

Kohli began with consecutive boundaries off Chahar, but took a bit of time to find his rhythm. He lofted the same bowler for a massive six on the on-side while Padikkal was fluent with his well-timed shots on the off.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni shuffled his bowlers but none got the length that could either trouble the batters or stop the run-flow.

The young left-hander also used his feet well against left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, sending the ball soaring over long-on. He completed his fifty with a crushing four off Chahar, which also raised the team's hundred.

The breakthrough eventually came when Bravo sent back Kohli, who struck the ball clean and hard but was caught near the boundary ropes.

That wicket stemmed the flow of runs and while trying to break the shackles, both AB De Villiers (12) and Padikkal became victims of Shardul Thakur.

Maxwell was expected to go after the bowlers and he did that, striking a six off Bravo to raise the team's 150 in the 18th over, but a late flourish eluded the Royal Challengers.

• IPL 2021