Chennai: Rahul Dravid must have been wondering what Bangalore could do to register an elusive third victory in the IPL.
But Dravid would be flummoxed after Chennai choked and gift-wrapped them a 14-run win at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Wednesday.
The script went the dreaded direction again for Bangalore who only managed 126-8 with the bat, but a dramatic twist in the dying stages saw Chennai lose a flurry of wickets against an unrelenting bowling attack, appropriately led by Anil Kumble's 3-14.
Needing 15 runs from the last over bowled by Praveen Kumar, Suresh Raina declined two singles to Makhaya Ntini at the other end which cost Chennai dear. The last over went for a solitary run.
Openers Parthiv Patel (24) and Stephen Fleming (46) ensured a brisk start to their run chase, but with just half the runs left to notch up a win, Anil Kumble got Chennai into a hole they could never get themselves out of.
Kumble's three-wicket burst was backed up ably by a bowling attack short of Zaheer Khan, and with Dhoni back in the hut early, Dale Steyn produced an inspiring late spell to remove Albie Morkel and S Vidyut which included a stunning catch from Jacques Kallis.
Chennai, with 14 points before the start of the game having seen at least two spots for the semi-finals being filled, had even the schedule on their side with their last two games against Bangalore and Hyderabad — the disappointments of the season.
But with the defeat in their penultimate fixture, Chennai's dreams of a semi-final berth ensures them as well as Delhi and Mumbai of a scrap till the last match.
Under-fire Bangalore captain Rahul Dravid waged yet another lone battle with a brave 47 before becoming one of Albie Morkel's four victims. Praveen Kumar was the next highest scorer with 21.
That the reason for Bangalore's nightmare has been their batting is no secret, and their umpteenth opening combination settled matters yet again as both departed within the powerplay overs after opting to bat.
The slide never stopped — as ever — with half their side back in the pavilion by the 15th over, with just 76 runs on the board.
The newly introduced Fair Play Award must be high on Bangalore's agenda after a shambolic performance so far in the competition.
Despite nine defeats they are on top of that table, and during yet another forgettable outing, Bangalore's new hope Sreevats Goswami kept up with his side's tradition as he walked after the umpire turned down Manpreet Gony's appeal for a catch behind.
Bangalore, who were outplayed by Delhi in their previous encounter, made three changes to their side, bringing in Mark Boucher, Virat Kohli and Vinaykumar to replace Cameron White, Bharat Chipli and Zaheer Khan.
Chennai, who were assured of a place in the final four of the competition, retained their eleven that scored a win in their rain-truncated fixture in Kolkata.
Teams:
Chennai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Parthiv Patel, Stephen Fleming, S Vidyut, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Manpreet Gony, L Balaji, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini.
Bangalore: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Sreevats Goswami, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mark Boucher, Balachandra Akhil, Anil Kumble, Praveen Kumar, Vinaykumar, Dale Steyn.
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