IPL 7 Match Highlights: Yuvraj Singh Helps Bangalore Defeat Chennai to Stay Alive in Tournament

The target was not daunting but Chennai Super Kings gave Royal Challengers Bangalore a run for their money. Crucial knocks from Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Yuvraj Singh eventually helped Bangalore win by 5 wickets and stay in the fray for a berth in the playoffs. Here are the highlights: ( Scorecard | Commentary | Points Table | Schedule )

 

1920 hrs IST:Dhoni decides to focus on the positive from the match. "Our bowlers bowled in the right areas which is why this was a close match,"he said at the post-match presentation. He however did flay the fielding. "Catches win matches and we didn't follow that today. It has cost us in the past as well. Other than that, it was a good performance."

 

1918 hrs IST:Virat Kohli is visibly thrilled with the win and the performance of his side in the match. "The pitch slowed down quite a bit in the second innings but our guys maintained composure. It is a good win for us for sure," he said.

 

1915 hrs IST:Ab de Villiers is named man-of-the-match. "I think this is one of the toughest tracks I have batted on. We won the match and so, there is not much to complain about though," he said.

 

1908 hrs IST:And Bangalore win! Defeat Chennai by 5 wickets to stay alive in the IPL 2014. With ten needed in the final over, Yuvraj Singh smashes Hussey for a six while Abu Nechim brings up the winning runs with a confident shot for four.

 

1859hrs IST:OUT! Ab de Villiers fiery knock comes to an end. He skies the ball after scoring 28 quick runs from 14 balls.

 

1855 hrs IST:OUT! Chris Gayle's innings ends on 46.

 

1851 hrs IST:Gayle-de Villiers' magic! Both batsmen have denied Chennai any advantage despite the crucial wicket of Kohli. Bangalore need 43 from 24.

 

1839 hrs IST:OUT! Huge wicket for Chennai as Kohli is stumped on 27 by Dhoni. Bangalore 75/2, 14.1.

 

1822 hrs IST: An urgency in RCB batting now! Kohli and Gayle target Jadeja and Raina's spin. The two batsmen help themselves to a few boundaries and keep the score ticking along. Bangalore 66/1, 12.

 

1811 hrs IST: Virat Kohli has looked more determined than seen in the previous IPL matches. Although still early in the chase, he has played some solid grounded shots for singles. Bangalore 33/1, 6.

 

1800 hrs IST:OUT! Parthiv's aggression makes him pay the ultimate price. He goes for the sweep but the ball finds itself in the hands of Raina in the slips. Ashwin celebrates as sea of yellow flags cheer loudly. Bangalore 14/1, 3.3.

 

1753 hrs IST:Parthiv slams two fours! Solid start to chase by Bangalore as Parthiv Patel takes on Mohit Sharma in the first over itself and comes out on top. Bangalore 9/0, 1.

 

1735 hrs IST:Chennai finish on 138/4. Excellent fightback from Bangalore with just 31 runs and a wicket in the final five overs. Suresh Raina remains unbeaten on 62 but looks a bit disappointed with boundaries drying up.

 

1725 hrs IST: Two overs left. Raina has looked solid and will be looking at big shots to finish the innings on a high. He is in the middle with Jadeja. Chennai 123/4.

 

1718 hrs IST:OUT! Dhoni (7) goes for the cut but finds Chris Gayle. This is a huge wicket for Bangalore and the Abu Nechim's celebrations show why. Chennai 115/4, 16.2.

 

1716 hrs IST:FIFTY for Raina! The south-paw slams his 20th fifty in IPL. Today's took him just 35 balls.

 

1708 hrs IST:OUT! Hussey (25) looks to clear the leg-side boundary but finds the fielder. Muralitharan gets his first of the day but cheers around Ranchi for Dhoni who replaces the Aussie. Chennai 104/3, 14.3.

 

1658 hrs IST:Chennai switch gears. Raina and Hussey help themselves to boundaries against Yuzvendra Chahal. Chennai 92/2, 13.

looks like our colleague #davidhussey is finding his bearings in the middle #csk

- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 18, 2014

1650 hrs IST:Raina gets a move on! Slams Aaron for two fours on the trot in the over after strategic timeout. Chennai 67/2, 11.

 

 

1635 hrs IST: David Hussey is making his CSK debut. He has hogged the strike since coming in but has not made much of an impact though. Partner Suresh Raina has smashed two fours off the three balls he has faced. Chennai 48/2, 8.

 

1625 hrs IST:OUT AND OUT! Aaron has the last laugh has he gets rid of McCullum (19) and Dwayne Smith (9) in three balls. Both batsmen looked to take the aerial route, paying a heavy price. Chennai 29/2, 4.4.

 

1615 hrs IST: After a good second over from Bangalore's Mitchell Starc, Chennai openers lash out against Varun Aaron. Smith drives him for a four down the ground while McCullum pulls him for his second six of the day so far. Chennai 21/0, 3.

 

1605 hrs IST:Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum open for Chennai. Muttiah Muralitharan opens with the ball for Bangalore and is smashed down the ground for a six by the Kiwi. Welcome! Chennai: 7/0, 1.

 

1550 hrs IST: Squads:

Chennai:  Dwayne Smith, McCullum, Raina, Dhoni, David Hussey, Jadeja, Manhas, Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey and Badree

Bangalore: Kohli, Gayle, de Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel, Sachin Rana, Starc, Nechim, Aaron, Muralitharan and Chahal

 

1540 hrs IST: Dhoni says this being an afternoon match was one of the reasons why he chose to bat. Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli agrees and says he would have made the same decision had he won.

 

1530 hrs IST: Toss! Dhoni wins and Chennai will bat first. The team news is that Faf du Plessis has been dropped and David Hussey will get his first match in the yellow jersey. Mithun Manhas also gets a game. For Bangalore, Varun Aaron returns and Vijay Zol sits out.

 

1520 hrs IST: Ten minutes left for the toss! If past matches played by the two teams are a sign to go by, batting will be the main weapon for both Chennai as well as Bangalore. The two teams have smashed massive and repeated sixes to terrorise opponents. Here's a look at batsmen with the most sixes in IPL 7 so far:

 

Chennai Super Kings: With eight wins from ten matches, the two-time winners have once again emerged as one of the favourites to lift the title this year. Currently placed behind Kings XI Punjab in the points table - due to an inferior net run-rate, the team would be looking to maintain momentum and keep their superb record in Ranchi's JSCA Stadium intact.

 

The likes of Dwayne Smith, Ravindra Jadeja and Faf du Plessis have given good support to skipper MS Dhoni. The introduction of David Hussey will further bolster their prospects. The bowling too has clicked with young Mohit Sharma competing for the Purple Cap.

 

Chennai face Bangalore - a team which has been erratic at best. (Match preview)

 

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Some critics are calling the side 'the biggest disappointment of IPL 2014'. Others are not as harsh but even the most ardent supporter is aware that this side has not played to its full potential. With formidable cricketers making up the ranks, Bangalore have won just four of their ten matches and are placed sixth in the points table.

 

While Yuvraj Singh's phenomenal form in recent matches has been a splendid surprise, the team needs more than just explosive batting from the south-paw and classy AB de Villiers if it wants to stun all and storm into the playoffs. Big knocks from skipper Virat Kohli and Jamaican Chris Gayle are eagerly awaited. (Also read: Virat Kohli slams critics who wrote Yuvraj off)