Meaty sixes, mighty catches

Only one six was scored in the first innings of the first match but four overs into the second, Chennai Super Kings had already trebled that count. The pick of the big hits was M Vijay's shot over midwicket that went so high it hit the roof of one of the structures next to the open stand and bounced off into the apartment building that sits next to the stadium.

Faf du Plessis thrilled the Wanderers with some aggressive hitting in his a half-century but soon fell on his sword. He tried to pull Lasith Malinga for a six and was caught well in front of the rope by Rohit Sharma. Super Kings were going at 10 runs an over at that stage, but du Plessis' dismissal caused a ripple effect and they managed only 10 runs in the next three overs, losing three wickets.

Even though the match was of no consequence, there was still some analysis to be had. ESPNcricinfo columnist Harsha Bhogle, who is also on the commentary team, had this curious question. "How do you get an IPL team back into form?" he asked. When met with blank stares by the few remaining media, he answered it. "Play them against another IPL team."

Kieron Pollard smashed the first ball of the last over for a six, bringing the equation down to 13 off five balls and he looked set for taking Mumbai Indians home. He didn't get his timing right on a lofted shot off the next ball and it appeared that the ball would fall short of the long-on fielder. But Suresh Raina ran in hard from the boundary and dived forward to get his fingers between the ball and the turf to get the big wicket.

Sachin Tendulkar may have made his last appearance at the Wanderers and he did something to remember. He took a stunning, tumbling catch on the deep midwicket boundary to ensure Albie Morkel was dismissed for a duck. Tendulkar had to run to his left and take the catch while moving but held on tightly and rose to cheers.

Dinesh Karthik ensured the Mumbai Indians went down swinging and he did so primarily with the 19 runs he took off Ravindra Jadeja. All three of his boundaries were slogs over midwicket but the third was done on bent knee and with much more power than the rest.

In a blaze of boundaries, Karthik and Pollard took Mumbai to the brink but Ben Hilfenhaus had the final say. He bowled a slower ball, which Karthik was ready to send into the stands but he played the shot too early and the ball hit his pad, rolled back and disturbed the stumps. Pollard stayed on but could not get Mumbai over the line.

With one ball left to go, Mumbai could still have tied the match, with a six. The second match of the double header was the more exciting of the two and the one with a better quality of cricket. But, because the Lions had beaten Yorkshire in the earlier game, the result meant nothing in the context of the group or the tournament. Both Chennai and Mumbai are already knocked out but play one more match each before heading home.