CSK were left needing 35 off the last three overs with Jadeja, who was batting with attacking intent that was missing earlier in the season, and Dhoni in the middle. It was anybody’s game, but Suvash Sharma tipped it RCB’s way with an 18th over that went for only six runs.

It then swung CSK’s way when Virat Kohli dropped a regular catch – of Jadeja – at long-on and saw the first ball of the 19th over go through him to the boundary. Dhoni soon scythed a legcutter from Bhuvneshwar Kumar over cover for six, and followed with a single to make it 15 required off the last over.

Dayal’s plan in the final over was to shut Dhoni and Jadeja down with yorkers. With dew around, he was not able to nail his yorkers, but his low full tosses were still hard to put away, leading two singles and Dhoni’s wicket off the third ball. His fourth full toss in a row ended up going over Shivam Dube’s waist and well beyond the midwicket boundary for six, but Dayal didn’t veer away from his original plan when CSK needed six off three with a free hit in hand. With five needed off two, Dayal bowled a near yorker and Jadeja could only inside-edge it onto his pad for a single. Dube couldn’t get the last ball away to the boundary as Dayal pulled off another heist at the Chinnaswamy, sending the crowd into raptures.

Jacob Bethell and Kohli had laid the base for RCB’s win by adding 71 for 0, their highest powerplay score at home this season. Romairo Shephed then launched from there, muscling a 14-ball half-century, the joint second fastest in IPL history.

In statement issued by Rabada through the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), Rabada apologised for his actions and recommitted himself to the game.

“As has been reported, I recently returned to South Africa from participating in the IPL for personal reasons,” Rabada said in his statement. “This was due to my returning an adverse analytical finding for the use of a recreational drug.  “I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down. I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations.

“I am serving a provisional suspension and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing.

“I couldn’t have gone through this alone. I’d like to thank my agent, CSA, and Gujarat Titans for their support. I’d also like to thank SACA and my legal team for their guidance and counsel. Most importantly I’d like to thank my friends and family for their understanding and love.

“Moving forward, this moment will not define me. I will keep doing what I have always done, continuously working hard and playing with passion and devotion to my craft.”

SACA have declined to answer questions relating to the matter while the South African Agency for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) is expected to release a statement early next week explaining the situation. SAIDS is a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which means that any sanction SAIDS oversees would need to be ratified by WADA.

In the last four years, there has only been one instance of an athlete receiving a one-month ban from SAIDS: powerlifter Matt Bekker, who was banned in April 2021 for testing positive for THC, which is found in cannabis. In November last year, New Zealand cricketer Doug Bracewell was effectively banned for a month for cocaine use – a sanction that was reduced from three months after Bracewell satisfactorily completed a treatment program. ESPNcricinfo has established that Rabada’s case is expected to be similar.

There are no concerns from sources close to CSA over Rabada missing any more cricket, including the World Test Championship final against Australia in June.

[Cricinfo]

By the time the SRH bowlers got a hang of things, they needed nothing short of a collapse to make a comeback into the contest. All they managed was one wicket, that of Sai Sudharsan on a late cut off a Zeeshan Ansari wrong’un. Two quiet overs followed, but then Gill started to pierce gaps with surgical precision. He didn’t need any gifts anymore. In fact, he offered SRH one when he slowed down in an attempt to take what is now regarded a regulation single to short fine leg.

The resultant run-out gave SRH their best period in the field. Cummins began to use the middle of the pitch, Jaydev Unadkat followed suit, and 17 balls went without a boundary. Buttler, who looked like the extreme heat – it was 41 degrees at the start of the match – was getting to him, then took a few risks and brought the innings back on track. Of GT’s top three batters, he faced the toughest conditions and bowling, which showed in his slower strike rate. But his 64 off 37 balls was key to GT getting the above-par score they had threatened all along.

Abhishek danced down at Mohammed Siraj off the first ball he faced, and lofted him over wide long-off. Travis Head crashed his second ball through covers for four. They punished the new ball the best they could, but still, at 45 for 0 in four overs, they were barely keeping up with the asking rate.