Bangalore go on top after beating Chennai

Chris Gayle indulged himself after his bowlers restricted Chennai Super Kings to a below-par 128 to propel Royal Challengers Bangalore to top of the points table. Once their top order crumbled within six overs into the game, Chennai were always drifting towards an inevitable defeat. MS Dhoni consolidated initially before looting some quick runs in the end to give some respectability but 128 wasn't going to test Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Especially, with Gayle unleashing hell.

Scorecard

Dhoni said the track was slightly "sticky" after Chennai was asked to bat first and saw his top order combust against the new ball. With Chennai tottering at 22 for 4, Dhoni played the situation well but they were always heading towards a below-par total.

Gayle left his imprints on the chase in his typical style of play. It was violence, Gayle style. A six flew over third man, another disappeared over cowcorner, yet another, off Suresh Raina, landed in the upper tier of the long-on stands and a fierce straight drive rammed into the right shin of the bowler Albie Morkel. A limping Morkel continued bowling after receiving some treatment but Gayle promptly dispatched a short delivery to deep midwicket stands. While Gayle did thrill the home crowd it was the bowlers who won the game for Bangalore.

The first couple of overs set the tone: Zaheer Khan nearly yorked M Vijay and beat Mike Hussey with couple of outswingers, and S Aravind hit a nagging line and length to handcuff Chennai. The breakthrough came in the third over when Hussey dragged an away-going delivery on to his stumps. It was the sign of things to come. Vijay hung his bat out to dry against Aravind, Suresh Raina top edged a pull off Zaheer and when S Badrinath lifted Daniel Vettori to long-off Chennai were wobbling at 22 for 4 from 5.4 overs.

It was left to Dhoni to play the lone ranger; every time he tried to switch to attacking mode, a wicket fell, forcing him to revert to caution. He added 26 runs with Wriddhiman Saha from 6.4 overs and Chennai reached 60 for 4 in 12 overs. Saha swung Chris Gayle for a six over midwicket in the next over to suggest a possible change in the mindset but he fell, trying to repeat the shot off Virat Kohli in the 14th over.

Dhoni was on a run-a-ball 19 at that stage and soon swung Gayle for his second six to hint at a revival, but Dwayne Bravo was trapped by an arm-ball from Vettori in the first ball of the 16th over, forcing Dhoni to slow down again. He fell quiet for couple of overs and it was in the final over, bowled by Abhimanyu Mithun, that Dhoni really turned on his brand of violence. He pulled a six and a four before he smote one over midwicket boundary to finish off in style but 128 was never going to be enough to test Bangalore, especially with Gayle flowing in his uninhibited manner.