Chennai: Led by seasoned Harbhajan Singh (2/17), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinners put on a dominating show to help the side reclaim the top position with a 22-run win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match, here Saturday.
Defending 160/3, CSK restricted Punjab to 138/5 despite half centuries from KL Rahul (55, 47b, 3×4, 1×6) and Sarfaraz Khan (67, 59b, 4×4, 2×6). The visitors scored at a low pace and required to score 26 off the last over, bowled by IPL debutant Scott Kuggeleijn (2/37). The Kiwi paceman had no trouble defending those runs and also dismissed Sarfaraz.
In a brilliant spell, Harbhajan bowled a maiden and grabbed two wickets, including that of the ‘universal boss’ Chris Gayle. Ravindra Jadeja (0/24) and Imran Tahir (0/20) also helped CSK put the brakes on the rival batsmen. They, along with Harbhajan, conceded only 61 runs in 12 overs even as the required run-rate kept mounting.
Harbhajan struck a huge blow to rivals by dismissing the Gayle, having him caught behind by MS Dhoni in the second over. Two balls later, he had the stylish Mayank Agarwal, caught by Faf du Plessis near the boundary with the batsman going for a big hit. Harbhajan started off with a double wicket maiden to put KXIP on the backfoot early.
In the 13th over, Rahul’s missed sweep saw Dhoni flick the ball on to the stumps but the bails didn’t come off though the LED lights lit up, ensuring the batsman survived despite being short of his crease.
The century partnership for the third wicket between Rahul and Sarfaraz was a productive one but they consumed a lot of balls and stymied the KXIP chase as the CSK bowlers kept things tight.
Earlier, Du Plessis (54, 38b, 2×4, 4×6) hit a fine half century up the order while skipper Dhoni (37 n o, 23b, 4×4, 1×6) and Ambati Rayudu (21 n o, 15b, 1×4, 1×6) provided the late flourish to help CSK post a competitive 160/3.
Du Plessis together with Shane Watson (26) added 56 runs for the first wicket after opting to bat. But it was some late hitting by Dhoni and Rayudu and their unbeaten 60-run fourth wicket partnership in 30 balls helped the defending champions reach a respectable total.
Thanks to Dhoni and Rayudu, CSK scored 52 runs in the last five overs after a rather quiet middle period. Kings XI skipper Ravichandran Ashwin was the best bowler for the visitors, picking up three wickets for 23 runs from his four overs. He was on a hat-trick in the 14th over after getting half-centurion Du Plessis and Suresh Raina off successive deliveries.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 160/3 (Faf du Plessis 54, MS Dhoni 37 n o; Ravi Ashwin 3/23) bt Kings XI Punjab 138/5 (Sarfaraz Khan 67, KL Rahul 55; Harbhajan Singh 2/17) by 22 runs.
