Uthappa: A tale of two overs

It took Robin Uthappa just two overs to change the match.

Muttiah Muralitharan's brilliant spell of three for 25 in four overs had enabled Chennai Super Kings restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore in the middle overs. But Uthappa changed the script dramatically in the final overs with his blazing innings of 68 from 38 balls, having hit six sixes and three boundaries.

Four of Uthappa's sixes came in the last two overs during which Bangalore hit 41 runs.

Lakshmipathy Balaji came under the hammer as Uthappa cracked a full delivery through covers for a boundary. And the right-hander followed it up with a hat-trick of sixes to leave Chennai gasping for breath.

He then slammed one more six off R Ashwin in the final over as Bangalore surprised everyone to reach a stiff 171 for five in 20 overs.

Uthappa's destruction at the end seemed to have mentally knocked out Chennai even before they came out to bat.

With the bat, Chennai never really threatened as they finished on a modest 135 for seven in their 20 overs, losing by 36 runs.