Sir Ravindra Jadeja pulls off a heist

The last time Royal Challengers Bangalore went to Chennai, Virat Kohli lost a won match when he bowled one over. The captain this time, Kohli lost a won game by handing over the ball to RP Singh, who conceded 16 in the last over, including a huge no-ball, which was caught at third man and would have won them the match had RP not overstepped - it was meant to be the final ball of the game. Laughing all the way to the win was Ravindra Jadeja, who mixed educated edges and meaty blows superbly to take Chennai Super Kings home with 38 off 20.

After Ravi Rampaul and R Vinay Kumar removed the openers to reduce Super Kings to 10 for 2 in four overs, it was all uphill for the home side. Suresh Raina and S Badrinath rebuilt but when they fell Super Kings still needed 88 off 46. Vinay brought it to 65 off 30, conceding only six in the 15th over. Dhoni and Jadeja kept on hitting the odd boundary, one of them right out of the stadium, but the asking rate kept going up.

With 29 required off the last two overs, Rampaul seemed to have sealed the deal with the wickets of Dhoni - for 33 off 23 - and Bravo - for 8 off 3 - in the 19th over. However, Kohli had a situation on his hands. Vinay had bowled out, and he had to choose between Daniel Christian and RP because the left-arm spinners would have turned or angled the ball into Jadeja's natural swing. Christian had gone for just 13 in two overs, but has had a forgettable record bowling the final over in IPL games.

So RP it was, and RP it was who bowled two length balls at the top of the over. Jadeja edged the first over short third man, but absolutely smoked the next one over long-on. The pressure was squarely on Royal Challengers now. Wearing the orange cap, reclaimed through an anchoring fifty earlier in the innings, he misfielded the fourth ball at long-on, allowing the second. He had done so earlier too.

Chris Morris, who had taken three wickets including the big one of Chris Gayle and two during the slog overs to keep Royal Challengers down to 165, accepted that couple and followed it with a single to make it two required off the last ball. Surreal scenes followed. RP bowled a bouncer, Jadeja ramped it straight to third man, Kohli thought he could yet end up on the right side of it until he saw the outstretched arm of the umpire and the celebrating Jadeja, who seems to be unable to do any wrong this season even if he tries.

Replays showed this wasn't just any ordinary no-ball, RP had overstepped by a foot. Kohli backed RP in the public, but there might be words spoken behind closed doors. Royal Challengers will also look at the last over when they batted, when Arun Karthik kept heaving and wasting deliveries as opposed to bringing to strike AB de Villiers, who scored a manic 64 off 32, full of sweeps against fast bowlers.