Dhoni, CSK reel in mammoth total

The Result: Chennai Super Kings 5-207 (Dhoni 70*, Bravo 2-33) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 8-205 (de Villiers 68, Chahal 2-26) by 5 wickets.

The match in a tweet: Dhoni dominates in high-scoring six-fest as Super Kings reel in mammoth RCB total to vault back to top of the IPL table #RCBvCSK  

The Captain's Knock: A 200-plus total was always going to be a tall order, but in an international career spanning well over a decade there are few scenarios capable of flustering Chennai captain MS Dhoni. Together with Ambati Rayudu (82) the superstar 'keeper-batsman reaffirmed his reputation as one of the best finishers of the modern era, helping reel in the target with an unbeaten 70-off just 34 deliveries to guide the visitors to victory with two balls remaining, including seven towering sixes. He finished it in style too after stepping to the offside and smashing Corey Anderson over long-on to bring up the winning runs and complete a brilliant win for the Super Kings.

The Finisher: It may have been Dhoni and Rayudu who provided the bulk of the heavy lifting, but it could have all been in vain if not for Dwayne Bravo's heroics at the death. Needing 16 runs off the final over with the West Indies allrounder on strike, Bravo swung hard and was rewarded with a slice of luck after getting enough on a Corey Anderson delivery to edge it past the diving Quinton de Kock behind the stumps for four. The next strike was all class however, middling a full-blooded cut shot for six over long-off to bring the target down to six off four deliveries, before knocking a single and allowing Dhoni to finish off the chase for the visitors.

The Record: RCB fans would have been disappointed with the result, but they couldn't fault the entertainment after being treated to a record-breaking 33 sixes between the two sides. AB de Villiers (8) Ambati Rayudu (8) and MS Dhoni (7) provided the bulk of the carnage, as Dwayne Bravo's maximum with the second ball of the final over saw the previous mark of 31 eclipsed, before Dhoni's match-sealing hit finally brought the tally to a halt.

The Consolation Act: RCB may be sitting in sixth position on the IPL ladder, but they certainly can't blame their top-end talent for their troubles after another stunning performance from AB de Villiers. The South African superstar treated fans to another ball-striking masterclass after blasting a half-century off just 23 deliveries, and eventually finishing with 68 off 30. The star Protea's knock included an astonishing eight sixes and two fours, and sees him move to second position on the tournament's leading run-scorer charts with 280 runs at a strike rate of 184.

The Next Stop: A two-day break for the new ladder-leaders as they prepare to take on the struggling Mumbai Indians in Pune on Saturday, while RCB prepare for what will no doubt be another high-scoring affair against Chris Lynn's Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru on Sunday.

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