19.4 -
Axar to Dhoni, FOUR, that's why! Short and wide delivery again, can you believe? Shamed over deep cover with a brutal cut shot
18.3 -
Mohit Sharma to Dhoni, FOUR, that's a one-handed Dhoni wondershot. Mohit goes for a dipping full toss outside off, Dhoni reaches out with an open bat penduling across and carves it out over backward point. Pushed so hard at it that his bottom hand came off, but you want want one of Dhoni's for two of yours
17.2 -
Sandeep Sharma to Dhoni, FOUR, tries for a more disciplined repeat and it did look like a good ploy, given Dhoni's feet frozen to the pitch. But Sandeep cloaks this wide yorker in a full toss, Dhoni reaches out and slices it over backward point. Not pretty but will do. 38 off 16 needed now..
16.1 -
Mohit Sharma to Dhoni, FOUR, that's a full toss and it's been blazed away. Burnt. Opens the blade, gets the horsepower with whipped wrists and canes it square of the wicket on the off-side
16.0 -
Kyle Abbott to T Perera, FOUR, and again! What an over this. 16 runs off it. Short ball on the stumps, not the width to be cut away but Perera starts up and creates some of his own. Shuffles across ever so late with a hop and plants it wide of backward point. Pune need 54 runs in 24 balls
15.2 -
Kyle Abbott to T Perera, FOUR, this he has connected. Pounces on the short delivery and pipes the brutal cut wide of a diving cover-point
10.2 -
R Dhawan to Khawaja, FOUR, same shot, same ball but the intent measured more. If only there was a scale! Powered it with a bigger batswing and tailored it past extra cover for a boundary. Lovely boundary. What's next?
8.5 -
R Dhawan to S Tiwary, FOUR, that's where he is good. Dhawan cut the pace on it but it was trimmed back in length. As a result, Tiwary's turnaround tuck was uppish but beneficial for a boundary through deep mid-wicket
6.0 -
Mohit Sharma to Bailey, FOUR, and again! Another use of the feet, the length is a touch manipulated by Mohit who drops it short, but Bailey's stopgap shots are no ordinary. Closes the bat face on the 45-degree punch and channels it over mid-on this time. There's the V covered in two balls
5.5 -
Mohit Sharma to Bailey, FOUR, uses his feet and makes himself feel better almost. Buries the demons with an extended-arm loft over mid-off. Nicely done. On the up and found the vacant acres to perfection
3.5 -
Kyle Abbott to Rahane, FOUR, that's gorgeous! Short delivery outside off and how often does a batsman cut that? Not Rahane. Stays put, pokes his hands out and punches off the back foot over backward point. Had his stance open to get that placement pitch-perfect. Brilliant. Rewind and see that again
2.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to Rahane, FOUR, and this has been brutally caressed. Through fine leg. Sandeep pings a length on say off-stump, Rahane was on the back foot - like how quickly you flick a switch - and clipped it through the empty acres behind
2.0 -
Mohit Sharma to Rahane, FOUR, Mohit switches back to over the wicket for Rahane but he's come second. Good length delivery rising high and into Rahane, who turns around and almost shoves it down to fine leg. Can't call it a tuck because it wasn't too wristy. Just firm wrists, closed bat pointing to fine leg and a push-iron of a shot
0.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to Rahane, FOUR, but not the line. Gets the swing going from a fuller length but the radar's wrong. Slips it down leg and Rahane spindles around softly and nudges it to the fine leg fence. Deftly done. Times his turn-around and put enough wood on that for it to race away
20.0 -
Axar to Dhoni, SIX, Dhoni, you beautiful beast! Axar Patel has been bullied, like at a senior's 'orientation' party! Oh wow. 23 runs were needed and Dhoni went 6, 4, 6, 6 to seal it. "I don't want the last spot," he must have said to himself. Axar tries to outwit him with an arm-ball on leg-stump but Dhoni quickly shuffled across and inside the line, and whipped it over deep mid-wicket. So much power. Can't imagine how you would manage it on the leg-side, without the room for the bat swing, but Dhoni has, and as a result, glued Punjab to the bottom of this T20 League 2016 points table forever
19.5 -
Axar to Dhoni, SIX, Axar has lost it. Just another six needed. Drops it on a length, Dhoni swipes his bat and marauds it over deep mid-wicket... A wind up and a release to see the ball launched away. And there's a dog on the field, desperately trying to get rid of his itch
19.2 -
Axar to Dhoni, SIX, there you go! That's been manhandled, and the worst of times for Punjab! Who gets that dreaded wooden spoon? Launches this with a slog over deep mid-wicket
17.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to Dhoni, SIX, can someone check Vizag's altitude? This flew, believe me. Hits that don't-do-it fullish length, Dhoni latches onto it and motors it on a 103-meter journey via long-off. Huge. Brutal. Mighty. And I don't have any more adjectives.. Ramiz Raza used it all already
15.5 -
Kyle Abbott to T Perera, SIX, bazinga! Good length and Perera makes a meal out of that. Thanks the stars for getting one in his swinging arc and PSLVs it over long-on. Oh, that brutal bat swing
14.4 -
Axar to Dhoni, SIX, that's smoked! On a length, bounding off the pitch quick enough for Dhoni to time this shot. Slog-sweeps this well over deep mid-wicket. Not a bad ball, I repeat, not a bad ball. Just the timing, the power and 34 milligrams of Dhoni's charisma
11.1 -
Gurkeerat Singh to S Tiwary, SIX, the fullishness, the foolishness on that has been pummeled. In the slot to be slog-swept and Tiwary RSVPs to the invitation with a grand launch over mid-wicket. All the way, need I say?
1.3 -
Mohit Sharma to Khawaja, SIX, oh divine. All eyes, all hands. Takes on this length ball, had the length gauged early I reckon and just picks it up over deep square leg. Gyrated around in his crease and flicked it with cocked wrists to generate power
18.1 -
Mohit Sharma to T Perera, out Caught by W Saha!! Ah, Perera misses being in England because he has edged one to the keeper.. with a shot that's from his T20 cupboards. Was perhaps expecting a slower delivery but gets one very full and fast outside off. Hurries into a bat swing, looking to launch it downtown, but fails to do it in time. An outside edge is eked out as a result and Saha pouches it safely behind. T Perera c W Saha b Mohit Sharma 23(14) [4s-2 6s-1]
13.2 -
R Dhawan to I Pathan, out Caught by W Saha!! Let's stop and agree on one thing: Irfan Pathan is having a moment and it's a horror. This is the most embarrassing of ways to go. A short ball from a modest-paced Dhawan to start and arguably this bumper was intended to be slow. But not so slow. Pathan's delayed pull was so tortoise-esque that the ball lobbed off the toe-end during that half a second which looked to be played in slow motion. Saha sprints forward, dives and pouches it heroically. I Pathan c W Saha b R Dhawan 2(3)
11.5 -
Gurkeerat Singh to Khawaja, out Caught by D Miller!! And Khawaja has chosen to go. Pune now need 93 runs in 49 balls, and with him gone, the equation starts to assume higher degrees of complexity. This was there to be hit, to be fair. On that sloggable length, Khawaja crouched on his knee but didn't put enough wattage into this slog-sweep which found deep mid-wicket, like radium in dark. Khawaja c D Miller b Gurkeerat Singh 30(29) [4s-1 6s-1]
11.2 -
Gurkeerat Singh to S Tiwary, out Caught by Behardien!! And now he perishes. His watch is ended, as the Crows would say. Used his feet, sees the length shortened and goes with the turn for this loft. Couldn't compensate for the slightly exaggerated turn ad slices it straight to an onrushing deep cover. S Tiwary c Behardien b Gurkeerat Singh 17(15) [4s-1 6s-1]
7.0 -
Axar to Bailey, out Stumped!! There it is. The turn. Axar bowls it slow on a good length, draws Bailey out of his crease and then gets it to spin away viciously. Saha was alert behind the stumps, shuffles to his right to collect and lights the LEDs up. That red signals the end of Bailey's innings, his T20 League 2016 batting, but not his smiles. Bailey st W Saha b Axar 9(11) [4s-2]
4.4 -
Sandeep Sharma to Rahane, out Caught by W Saha!! Believe me, that's the worst way to go. No, not the run out at the bowler's end, but this. A strangle down leg. Pretty ordinary ball this - shortish in length, down leg side and crying to be put away. Rahane is late to spot the line and turn around for a tickle. He placed it finer as a result, within Saha's radar who leaps to his left and pouches it. Ordinary cricket, but for Saha's athleticism behind the stumps. Rahane c W Saha b Sandeep Sharma 19(15) [4s-4]
17.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to Dhoni, wide, he's lost it. Sandeep's lost it. Bangs it on a length and steers this off-pace delivery well wide of tramline outside off, Dhoni doesn't not even bother