IPL 2018, RCB vs CSK: Mohammed Siraj's hattrick of wides is SK Turning Point of the match
When MS Dhoni is at the crease in the final over of the chase, the pressure is always on the bowler, no matter how many runs his side requires to win the game. The CSK skipper, along with his team, scripted a terrific five-wicket victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday (April 25), who go to the top of the points table of the tournament.
After losing the toss and being put in to bat first, the home side put up a thumping total of 205-8 after 20 overs, courtesy a blistering half-century from AB de Villiers. The South African went ballistic with the willow while dispatching the CSK bowlers to all parts of the stadium in his incredible knock of 68 off just 30 deliveries.
Before this game, RCB had a 100 percent record while defending a 200+ total at home and thus, the scales were tilted slightly in their favour, midway through the match. When they were reduced CSK to 74-4 within the first 9 overs of the chase, the Bangalore franchise's odds of winning the tie amplified even further.
However, that's when Dhoni joined Ambati Rayudu in the middle, and the duo stitched a well-paced partnership of 101 runs between them, so as to keep their team alive and kicking in the chase.
Rayudu was unlucky to fall to a run-out, though, and his dismissal at a crunch situation in the game pulled RCB from the trenches and right at the centre of the proceedings.
When the right-handed batsman returned to the pavilion, the Men in Yellow required 31 runs off just 13 deliveries. To come in at that instant and start firing from the first ball was a difficult ask off Dwayne Bravo. The West Indian took his time in the first couple of deliveries he faced, which thereby put even more pressure on the batting side.
Mohammed Siraj bowled the 19th over of the innings. He started off well, giving away just 3 runs off 4 deliveries and keeping both the batsmen quiet at the crease. Chennai needed 27 off 8 then.
However, the right-arm pacer was smashed for a massive six off the penultimate delivery of his over, by the former Indian skipper. This put the former under tremendous pressure to finish off well.
That lead to him capitulating under the burden of expectations from, and in an attempt to extract a dot or a single from his final delivery, Siraj bowled three wides in a row. This, quite clearly, was the SK Turning Point of the match. Before this plethora of extras, CSK needed 21 runs off 7 deliveries, and by the time he managed to complete his over, the visitors needed 16 off the final over.
Hence, in his attempt to avoid another boundary, Siraj ended up giving away four crucial runs in one legal delivery, anyway.
It proved to be the catalyst for the momentum shift in the game and ultimately, ended in RCB's first defeat at the Chinnaswamy Stadium while defending a 200-plus score therein. Chennai finished with an emphatic 207-5 to clinch the victory with 2 balls to spare.
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