LIVE BLOG - IPL Final - Rajasthan's Reply

A new post so that you don't have to scroll down as much. So, Chennai Jedi Superkings Cigarettes put on 163 - 5 in their 20 overs. Warne talked, at the toss, about restricting them to 150 so Rajasthan haven't done that but neither have Chennai stormed away with 180, although 163 is the highest score on this ground in this tournament.
So, definitely everything to play for! What can the Royals do?

[b]SCROLL DOWN - YES DOWN - DOWN - FOR THE LIVE UPDATES [/b]
Any comments, let me know in the, um, comments. And remember, drink according to these guidelines.
To remind you, Chennai look like this: PA Patel (wicket), S Vidyut, SK Raina, MS Dhoni, CK Kapugedera, S Badrinath, JA Morkel, M Gony, L Balaji, M Muralitharan, M Ntini.Rajasthan: Kamran Akmal (wicket), SA Asnodkar, YK Pathan, M Kaif, SR Watson, NK Patel, RA Jadeja, SK Warne, SK Trivedi, MM Patel, Sohail Tanvir.

<p align="justify">[b]OVER 1 - [/b]Ntini kicks off the bowling. Patel and Asnodkar are the batsmen. Nice tight over from Ntini. Score: 2 - 0.
<p align="justify">Jrod says Now i know why they didn't take Bryce McGain, cause he might of actually gotten a game. I assume (although I can't be sure) that he's talking about the Test, not the IPL.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 2 - [/b]The rather delicious Gony is bowling. Run rate required - 8.6. FOUR! hit square from Asnodkar (whose name is very difficult to remember,if anyone has a mnemonic or something do let me have it), just out of Raina's reach. FOUR! Vidyut doesn't manage his dive right. Score: 14 - 0.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 3 - [/b]Ntini. Still keeping it tidy. FOUR! nice little glance from Asnodkar. Score: 19 - 0.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 4 - [/b]WICKET!!! Patel bowled Gony. DRINK! Ickle inside edge. New bat - Kamran Akmal, and he seems to have recovered from the nasty collision with Kaif from earlier. Gony is wearing a silver bangle on his right hand. How can he bowl with a silver bangle dangling around? Also the darker yellow round the collar of the Chennai shirts is very unappealing; looks like a sweat stain. FOUR! Flat slog from Asnodkar, although I won't be sorry if he gets out because I am really struggling with his name. And his first name is Swapnil, which is redonkly counterintuitive to type. Score: 27 - 1.
<p align="justify">Dave asks what we drink for a maiden. I reckon that's a downed glass, don't you?
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 5 - [/b]Ntini back. FOUR! Big one-bounce four from Asnodkar (it isn't getting easier by the repetition). FOUR! whipped away fine by Akmal. Score: 36 - 1. RRR: 8.53. ARR (actual run rate): 7.2.
<p align="justify">Q gives some great IPL trivia, much more interesting than all the Stuart MacGill talk that's currently dominating the comments.
Each team has a member of the 20-20 world cup winning team - Dhoni (CSK) &amp; Yusuf Pathan (RR).Joginder Sharma who is not playing this game is in CSK's squad is also a 20-20 world cup winner.Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal, both playing for RR, were part of the losing finalists in the 20-20 World Cup.Younis Khan, not playing this match and a part of RR's squad, was also a losing finalist.<p align="justify">[b]OVER 6 - [/b]Gony bowling. Deepak says that he likes Asnodkar's name. Deepak, I hate it, although I agree that he has no idea where his shots are going. Homer is still on Innuendo Watch and says to remind him to drink at high noon next time. Homer, I have that effect on people. Good over from Gony. Score: 41 - 1.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 7 - [/b]Albie Morkel comes on and THANK FRICKIN CHRIST FOR THAT he gets Asnodkar first ball. WICKET!!!! Caught by Raina at point, for 28. Shane Watson is the new batsman (steady on, ladies). Morkel has lost his shoe and is now retying it, giving Nike a nice few seconds of footage. WICKET!!!!! Akmal RUN OUT by Ntini, laser accuracy to the stumps. Utter madness! there was never a run there! no need for third umpire, Akmal himself realised his mistake I think and didn't even bother to throw himself down. Yusuf Pathan now in. Brilliant over for Chennai. Score: 44 - 3.
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<p align="justify">[b]OVER 8 - [/b]Bowling change - Balaji on. Lakshmipathy Balajy. Now THERE'S a name I can get on board with. Yusuf Pathan, you may remember, was brought unexpectedly into the final of the world Twenty20 on the back of his domestic big-hitting, so can he pull things back a bit for the Royals? Chennai have Murali lurking in the wings too let's not forget. FOUR - swatted baseball style past the bowler by Watson. Score: 51 - 3.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 9 - [/b]Albie Morkel continues. And, thinks he has a wicket as Yusuf spoons one in the air and Parthiv catches it! BUT NO! - caught off a leg bye as it took Yusuf on the head, but Billy Bowden didn't signal the leg bye, but the upshot of it all is that Yusuf lives to fight another day. FOUR! Lovely shot from Shane Watson, all timing. Score: 61 - 3.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 10 - [/b]Balaji. FOUR! Yusuf comes down the pitch, flicks it square. FOUR! Yusuf absolutely creams one that Murali can't stop despite only having to move a few metres to the left to get to it. FOUR! Shane hits a cheeky fine boundary. Yusuf is cold eyed, focussed. Score: 75 - 3. RRR: 8.9. ARR: 7.5.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 11 - [/b]MURALI! Murali is here! HUGE lbw shout first ball v Yusuf, Bowden is having none of it. YUSUF DROPPED!!!!! He hits it high, Raina runs to get underneath it but fumbles it. Gaah! What could that cost? Q, I have corrected my earlier Shane / Yusuf mix-up! Score: 80 - 3.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 12 - [/b]Morkel is back. He had quite an impact in his first over. Ooh - No-ball, what looked like a missed catching chance, 2 runs, and a free hit, and the first instance this game of the phrase "the line belongs to the umpire". But well bowled, no runs off the free hit. SACHIN SIGHTING! Drink 2 fingers, everyone. Score: 87 - 3.
<p align="justify">Dave likes the way Fleming says "Kapugedera". Dave, I like the way he says everything.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 13 - [/b]Murali continues. Royals need 76 off 47. Q asks how many fingers to drink for spotting Sreesanth. None, but you have to administer a mock-slap to the next person you see. SIX! DLF MAXIMUM! That was a huge hit from Yusuf! 50 partnership up. AND AGAIN! SIX! That was even huger! they're talking about Murali - Yusuf being the big battle, well right now Yusuf is having a good time of it. Score: 102 - 3. At this point Chennai were 97 - 3.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 14 - [/b]Gony back. Royals need 62 off 42 and almost got 4 of them but Ntini just stopped it hitting the ropes. Yusuf DROPPED! dropped caught and bowled. Dropped on 13 and 33. Oooh a little bit of something going on between Vidyut and Shane Watson. Good over from Gony. Score: 107 for 3.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 15 - Royals need 57 off 36. [/b]Murali back. WICKET!!!! Bowls Shane Watson. Shane got 28 off 19. New bat: Mohammad Kaif. Comes in and has a chat with Yusuf with words from the dug out, presumably saying "hit it! just hit it!". Score: 112 - 4.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 16 - Royals need 52 off 30. [/b]Balaji Balaji Balaji returns. They're describing him as the weak link, but they haven't had to repeatedly type Asnodkar. FOUR! Lovely shot from Yusuf, who knows what he has to do, and the fielder fumbles it onto the boundary. Full toss and SIX!!! DLF MAXIMUM!!! Drink! Score: 125 - 4.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 17 - Royals need 39 off 24. [/b]Murali continues. And DLF MAXIMUM SIX!!!! from Kaif. His earlier collision with Akmal hasn't affected his eye, it appears. SIX!!!! DLF!! Fifty up for Yusuf. If he brings them home, he's my man of the match, for this and for his wickets. WICKET!!! Kaif bowled Murali caught Dhoni. Score: 139 - 5.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 18 - Royals need 25 off 18. [/b]And the words "eminently gettable" spring to mind. Jadeja is the new bat. Morkel comes back into the attack and... WICKET!!!! another wicket on the first ball of an over for him. Golden duck for Jadeja! OMG! New bat: SHANE KEITH WARNE. No-ball! Free hit, Warney to take it. Yusuf and Shane have a chat. Presumably Shane says "I'll just hit it" and they take a single off it, Warne keeping himself off strike. GAAH! There's a mix up between the bats, Warne doesn't respond to Murali's call, could have been a run out but Yusuf runs in front of the stumps, Morkel stands in the wrong place, no run out. And now Murali is hurt. O noes!
<p align="justify">BUT: NEXT BALL THIS HAPPENS: the bats try to take a single, Suresh Raina throws LIKE A FRICKIN DEMON and runs out Yusuf. Chennai are going crazy! Pathan goes for 56!
<p align="justify">New bat: Sohail Tanveer. Now he can smack it around a bit. The batsmen have the "just hit it!" chat between themselves. Score: 146 - 7.
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 19 - Royals need 18 off 12. [/b]Dhoni turns to Ntini. It's anybody's game, although Jrod still fancies the Vics and pities the fool who comes between Warne and a trophy, and we are talking about the blingiest trophy on earth here. The commentator is giving far too much detail about perspiration. Ntini folds his sleeves up to show how serious he is. FOUR! Warne gets one through. Score: 156 - 7.
<p align="justify">Who will get the last over? remember Joginder Sharma in the World T20? Will Dhoni go for Balaji?
<p align="justify">[b]OVER 20 - Royals need 8 from 6. And he HAS gone for Balaji! [/b]Tanveer takes the strike. Ball by ball now.
1. A single brings Warne on strike. If it's drawn, it's a bowl-out. 2. Dot.3. Single. 4. Six to get. Will Tanveer go for it? Slower delivery dribbles along, A WIDE! 4. Single.5. Two! SCORES LEVEL!6. Tanveer on strike. SACHIN SIGHTING! Drink. And... SINGLE!!!<p align="justify">RAJASTHAN ROYALS WIN BY 3 WICKETS!!! Wow, WHAT a final! The Royals are mobbing Shane and Tanveer! Brilliant stuff!
<p align="justify">Dhoni draws his team together for a huddle. The Royals are congratulating each other and especially Yusuf, who's been my MOTM for sure. The Royals are revelling in this and Shane is now bringing over all his team to join him in the middle - what a captain, what a story.
<p align="justify">Right, I am going to love you and leave you now. Thank you for all your comments and for running with my very first OBO - it's been a blast. A DLF Maximum blast.
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