Rahul Dravid's boys dominated three-quarters of their encounter against the Chennai Super Kings, but especially in Twenty20 cricket, there simply is no scope to relax even a wee bit.

A brutal assault by Mahendra Singh Dhoni undid the good work in the first 15 overs of the Royal Challengers bowlers; their own frailties with the bat and in the mind came back to haunt them in their chase when, with 47 required in the last five with seven wickets standing, the batsmen contrived to slide to their doom.

In the end, it came as no surprise that table-toppers Super Kings registered their fourth consecutive victory — by 13 runs — whilst the Royal Challengers slid to their third defeat in four matches, all of them ironically on home turf.

For long periods on a warm, humid Monday, it didn't quite appear as if the Royal Challengers were playing at home. Such is Dhoni's popularity and so strong appeared the travelling Chennai contingent that this seemed more Chennai than Bangalore — the weather didn't help, either! — as every move by the visiting team evoked a crescendo.

As if determined not to let the baying, deep-throated near-full house down, Dhoni played a special innings, taking apart the till then impressive Dale Steyn with a murderous onslaught that hauled his side out of a deep hole and to the relative comfort of 178 for five.

The Royal Challengers unearthed an unlikely hero in an initially strokeless Wasim Jaffer and the fluent, innovative Ross Taylor as they rapidly ate into that total, but with victory a distinct and easier possibility, their lack of winning memories came back to haunt them as they rolled over for 165.

Stunning pyrotechnics
A wonderful track, with plenty of bounce and more than decent carry, made for a great contest that witnessed several outstanding performances. The one that made the difference was Dhoni's stunning pyrotechnics. The Indian one-day captain is in a league of his own as a finisher, a role he has deliberately eschewed in international cricket because of a number of reasons. On this day, he had to embrace the uninhibited aggressiveness that makes him such a crowd puller and boy, did he!

Steyn had terrorised Parthiv Patel and Matthew Hayden in a super opening burst of 2-0-8-0, and as the other bowlers — Dravid opted for an all-seam attack in deference to the track, as did the Super Kings who left out Muttiah Muralitharan — rallied around the recently arrived Protean, the Royal Challengers got on top of the opposition. A breezy cameo from Suresh Raina redressed the balance, his dismissal bringing Dhoni to the middle amidst thunderous applause to join Mike Hussey. Soon, Dhoni set about justifying his superstardom.

Bruising pull
For two deliveries, Steyn had Dhoni in a bind. The stumper shed the shackles with a bruising pull, and Hussey could then sit back and watch the entertainment as his skipper set about the bowling, and Steyn in particular.
Overs 16 through 20 produced 76 runs as Dhoni went on the rampage, Steyn emphatically being put in his place in a final over that yielded 24, including four fours and a six to Dhoni.

The fourth-wicket stand produced a staggering 95 in 47 deliveries, and knocked the wind out of their Challengers sails. Briefly.

Jaffer turned booing spectators around with an exhibition of aggression few thought he possessed. Alongside the feisty Taylor, he tore the Super Kings attack apart, alternating between handsome orthodoxy and less aesthetic but equally effective charge and swish routines. 89 were realised in 47 deliveries, and at 102 for two when Jaffer fell, with 77 required in nine, the Challengers couldn't lose, could they?

Of course they could. There was no apparent method to their madness from that period. Neither the four changes to the eleven rung in by Dravid, nor a revamped batting order with the skipper at number seven, worked. Dravid fell for a first-ball duck yet again, admittedly to a poor decision by Russel Tiffin, but then again, when it rains, doesn't it pour?!

SCORE BOARD
SUPER KINGS:  Patel c Kallis b Praveen 21 (17b, 2x4, 1x6); Hayden b Zaheer 13 (19b, 2x4); Hussey c Dravid b Zaheer 47 (37b, 3x4, 2x6); Raina (run out) 28 (17b, 1x4, 2x6); Dhoni c (sub) Vinay b Zaheer 65 (30b, 9x4, 3x6); Oram (not out) 0 (0b). Extras (LB-1, W-3) 4; Total (for 5 wkts, 20 overs) 178.

Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Hayden), 2-42 (Patel), 3-83 (Raina), 4-178 (Dhoni), 5-178 (Hussey).
Bowling: Steyn 4-0-40-0 (w-3), Zaheer 4-0-38-3, Praveen 4-0-29-1, Kallis 4-0-36-0, Akhil 4-0-34-0.
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 25/1; 10: 65/2; 15: 102/3; end of innings: 178/5 in 20 overs.

Runs during Power Play: 1-6 overs: 26/1.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS: Chipli b Gony 8 (11b, 1x4); Jaffer c Oram b Amarnath 50 (33b, 5x4, 2x6); Taylor c Raina b Amarnath 53 (34b, 3x4, 3x6); Kallis c Dhoni b Joginder 14 (10b, 2x4); Boucher c Hussey b Gony 4 (6b); Kohli b Morkel 12 (7b, 2x4); Dravid lbw Gony 0 (1b); Praveen (run out) 6 (5b); Zaheer (run out) 8 (6b, 1x4); Akhil (not out) 2 (3b); Steyn c Hussey b Joginder 1 (2b). Extras (LB-1, W-6) 7. Total (all out, 19.4 overs) 165.
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Chipli), 2-102 (Jaffer), 3-127 (Kallis), 4-132 (Taylor), 5-142 (Boucher), 6-143 (Dravid), 7-149 (Kohli), 8-161 (Zaheer), 9-162 (Praveen).

Bowling: Oram 4-0-27-0 (w-2), Gony 4-0-34-3, Morkel 4-0-38-1 (w-3), Amarnath 4-0-38-2, Joginder 3.4-0-27-2 (w-1).

Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 32/1; 10: 93/1; 15: 132/3; end of innings: 165 all out in 19.4 overs. Runs during Power Play: 1-6 overs: 45/1.