Chennai thrash Bangalore, retain IPL title

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Chennai Super Kings thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs to retain the Indian Premier League at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Saturday.
Chasing an improbable target (206), the visitors could only manage 147 for eight in their stipulated 20 overs to finish the bridesmaid again - they had finished second best to Deccan Chargers in the 2009 final.
Saurabh Tiwary top-scored with an unbeaten 42 for Bangalore while Ashwin picked up three for 16 to finish as Chennai's best bowler.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Ashwin bowls his final over after the resumption and gives away four runs to end up with impressive figures of three for 16.
Then, Jakati bowls his final over and concedes eight runs, to finish with figures of two for 21.
Bollinger bowls the penultimate over and has Zaheer (21) caught by Hussey in the fourth ball. RCB 130 for eight. Bollinger concedes six runs in the over to finish with figures of one for 28.
Raina bowls the last over. He concedes eight runs as RCB end up at 147 for eight.
Chennai retain their Indian Premier League title.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore

Raina goes for 15 in his second over, with Mithun finding the boundary twice.

Bravo comes in to bowl the 13th over and strikes with his sixth ball, having Mithun (11) caught by Bollinger.

Zaheer Khan comes in to bat and Jakati is back into the attack replacing Raina (3-0-25-1). Three runs come off the 14th over.

Bangalore reach the 100-run mark in the 15th over bowled by Bravo. Tiwary hits a six in the last ball of that over.

Bollinger comes in to bowl the 16th over, the final before the second strategic timeout.

He concedes eight runs, including a boundary to Zaheer.

RCB 115 for seven after 16 overs.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Raina continues after the breather and strikes with his sixth ball, trapping Kohli (35) leg before. Bangalore 69 for five after 10 overs.
Captain Daniel Vettori comes out to bat.
Dhoni brings back Ashwin into the attack, in the 11th over replacing Jakati (2-0-10-2), and the effect is immediate. Ashwin catches Vettori off his first ball.
RCB 73 for six after 11 overs and Abhimanyu Mithun comes in to bat.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Suresh Raina replaces Morkel (3-0-24-0) in the eighth over. And Kohli welcomes him with a maximum over midwicket. 10 off the over.
Jakati strikes again in the ninth over, his second, catching Pommersbach (2) off his own bowling. Bangalore 62 for four and Saurabh Tiwary comes in to the crease.
Bangalore 67 for four after nine overs, and it is time for the first timeout.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Morkel continues and six runs come off his second over.
Doug Bollinger comes in place of Ashwin (2-0-8-2) in the fifth over. Kohli helps himself to a boundary and AB de Villiers to two in the over. The Australian goes for 14 in his first over.
Morkel continues, and concedes nine runs in his third over, including a boundary to De Villiers.
Bangalore 47 for two after six overs, and the field restrictions are over.
Shadab Jakati is introduced into the attack in the seventh over and strikes third ball, having AB de Villiers (18) out leg before. Bangalore 48 for three inside seven overs.
Luke Pommersbach comes in to bat. RCB 50 for three after seven overs.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Albie Morkel to bowl the second over. He concedes nine runs, including a boundary to Mayank Agarwal.
Ashwin strikes again in the third ball of his second over, cleaning up Agarwal (10).
Bangalore 18 for two after three overs.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Chennai open the bowling with R Ashwin and he strikes fourth ball, having Chris Gayle caught behind for a duck.
In comes Virat Kohli and he hits a boundary second ball.
Bangalore five for one after the first over.
The match is over now for sure.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Gayle bowls an excellent final over.
He accounts for Morkel (2) with his fourth ball, cleans up Raina (8) with his fifth and concedes just seven runs, courtesy a last ball six by Bravo.
Chennai Super Kings manage 205 for five in their stipulated 20 overs.
It is the highest total ever achieved by a team in an IPL final.
Bangalore have a tough job ahead of them. Safe to say Chennai is on course to retain its title.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Aravind to bowl the penultimate over and he accounts for Vijay first ball, caught by Vettori at cover. Chennai 188 for two.
Vijay's 52-ball 95 was inclusive of four boundaries and six sixes.
Suresh Raina comes in to bat. But Aravind gets another breakthrough with his second ball when he has Dhoni (22) caught by Virat Kohli at long-on.
Albie Morkel comes in to bat and survives the hattrick ball. Raina hits a maximum off the fourth ball. Chennai 198 for three after 19 overs.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Hussey's 45-ball 63 was inclusive of three hits to the fence and an equal number over it.
And his 159-run opening wicket stand with Vijay has all but ensured Chennai retain their title.
Vettori concedes just six runs in his final over to finish with figures of none for 34, respectable if you consider the treatment his colleagues have been meted out today.
Zaheer is bowling his final over now. RCB will be short of options in the last three.
Zaheer concedes just five runs in his final over to end with figures of none for 30.
Gayle bowls the 18th over and Dhoni smashes the first ball for a maximum over deep square leg. 16 off the over as Dhoni also hits the last ball for another six.
Chennai 188 for one after 18 overs.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Vettori continues after the breather and Hussey hits a boundary off the third ball to complete his fourth half-century of this season. 12 runs come off Vettori's third over and Chennai reach 143 for no loss after 14 overs.
Mohammad comes back to bowl the 15th over and Hussey welcomes him with a maximum. A single off the next ball helps Chennai reach the 150-run mark.
Vijay hits his sixth maximum in the third ball. Having conceded 16 runs off his first four balls, Mohammad has something to cheer at last when he has Hussey (63) caught by Mithun in the fifth ball.
Chennai lose their first wicket at 159 and MS Dhoni comes in to bat.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Mohammad to replace Vettori (2-0-16-0) in the 11th over.
And Vijay completes his fifty (off 29 balls) with a single to long on. A boundary by Hussey through extra covers off the next ball helps Chennai reach the 100-run mark.
Aravind comes in to replace an expensive Mithun (2-0-22-0) in the 12th over. And Vijay hits two magnificent sixes in the over. 18 runs off Aravind's second over.
Zaheer Khan to replace Mohammad (2-0-21-0) in the 13th over. Vettori is running out of options here. 10 off the over.
Chennai 131 without loss after 13 overs and it is time for second timeout.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Daniel Vettori comes in to bowl the first over after the breather. He concedes five runs.
Abhimanyu Mithun comes in to bowl the eighth over. It is an expensive first over from him, 12 runs coming off it.
11 runs come off Vettori's second over, including a six by Vijay. 10 off Mithun's second over.
Chennai 94 without loss after 10 overs.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore
Hussey smashes the first ball of Zaheer's second over deep backward square leg for a maximum over
So two sixes in two balls and Chennai get going. 10 runs come off the over. Chris Gayle into the attack now, replacing Aravind (1-0-11-0).
He appeals for a leg before decision over Hussey in his fourth ball only to see four overthrows owing to some shoddy backing up. 10 runs off the over, including five extras.
Syed Mohammad comes in to bowl the fifth over, replacing Zaheer (2-0-15-0). 12 runs come off the over, with Hussey smashing the last ball over midwicket for a maximum.
Vijay's smashes the first ball of Gayle's second over long-on for a maximum to help raise the fifty of the Chennai innings.
Chennai 56 without loss after six overs and time for the first timeout.

Live Scorecard: Chennai vs Bangalore

Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay expectedly open the innings for Chennai and it is Zaheer Khan who will start proceedings for Bangalore with the ball.
And yes, it is a packed house at Chepauk today.
Chennai score five runs in the first over. Sreenath Aravind to bowl the second over. 11 off it, including a six off the last ball by Vijay.
Chennai 16 without loss after two overs.


Teams:
Chennai Super Kings:
MS Dhoni (captain), Murali Vijay, Mike Hussey, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel, S Badrinath, Dwayne Bravo, Wridhimann Saha, R Ashwin, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Daniel Vettori (captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Luke Pommersbach, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Saurabh Tiwary, Abhimanyu Mithun, Zaheer Khan, Sreenath Aravind, J Syed Mohammad.

Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final of the Indian Premier League at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Saturday.
"We will look to put runs on the board," reasons captain MS Dhoni for his decision.
His Bangalore counterpart, Daniel Vettori, admitted he would have also batted first.
Teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Daniel Vettori (captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Luke Pommersbach, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Saurabh Tiwary, Abhimanyu Mithun, Zaheer Khan, Sreenath Aravind, J Syed Mohammad.
Chennai Super Kings:
MS Dhoni (captain), Murali Vijay, Mike Hussey, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel, S Badrinath, Dwayne Bravo, Wridhimann Saha, R Ashwin, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati.