It was the perfect Sunday treat for the Royal Challengers Bangalore fans. The expected cracker of a contest between the two most consistent teams in IPL-4 never transpired, but the sellout crowd got their money's worth as the Challengers emerged the table toppers at the end of the league stage after a commanding performance at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

It was a script that had no loose ends for the Challengers. The hosts bowled their heart out and if it weren't for Super Kings' skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's (70 n.o., 40b, 3x4, 6x6) lionhearted effort, the visitors would have finished much less than their eventual 128/8. It was no way sufficient as Chris Gayle (75 n.o., 50b, 4x4, 6x6) unleashed another standout performance as the Challengers cruised to 129/2 in 18 overs. Finishing the league stage as the top team, RCB also booked a Champions League berth.

If it was a one-man show for the Super Kings, it was collective effort from the Challengers that saw bamboozle one of the most well-balanced teams in the event. Comparatively, Super Kings had more batting depth, but Zaheer Khan (2/19), S. Arvind (2/20) and Daniel Vettori (2/15) produced miserly spells, which saw only two of the Super Kings batsmen -Dhoni and Wriddhiman Saha (22) -get into double digits.

The Challengers had the worst possible start losing AB de Villiers to the third ball of the innings. Had CSK managed to prise out either Virat Kohli or Gayle, they would have run into an inexperienced RCB middle-order. But the duo quashed the reigning champions' hopes with an 80-run second wicket partnership in just 47 balls.
Gayle was given a reprieve by Suresh Raina towards the end, as he snatched the Orange Cap from Shaun Marsh.

In between, Albie Morkel was at the receiving end of Gayle's brute force taking a fierce hit just above the knee on his follow-through and took some time to get back on his feet. Morkel's fall typified Super Kings' fate on the day, they were down and out. On a track that was perfect for batting, Super Kings struggled to score from the start. Their inability to score in the first half came back to haunt them.

- - - DC Chennai