Chennai Super Kings - IPL 2010 CHAMPIONS

Chennai were crowned Indian Premier League champions after defeating Mumbai by 22 runs in the final of the Twenty20 tournament in Mumbai.

Suresh Raina hit an unbeaten 57 and shared in a half-century stand with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (27) as Chennai posted 168 for five after opting to bat first.

Sachin Tendulkar (48) led a spirited chase, but Chennai were immaculate in the field as they restricted the Indians to 146 for nine.

Chennai off to a cautious start and while Murali Vijay looked in good touch, Matthew Hayden could only scratch around during an opening stand worth 44.


Vijay, however, was the first to depart, the right-hander holing out in the deep in the eighth over, while Hayden departed in the next when he mistimed a pull which went straight up for wicketkeeper Ambati Rayudu to glove a comfortable catch.

Dilhara Fernando, who had removed Vijay, then snared Subramaniam Badrinath and Chennai were left floundering at 68 for three at the end of the 12th over.

Dhoni joined Raina and immediately injected some pace by smashing Kieron Pollard for a six and four in the medium pacer's third over.


The turnaround came when Raina, who had played himself in nicely while Badrinath had attempted to up the ante, was let off twice - first on 13 when a mistimed pull which landed safely between Fernando and Abhishek Nayar, and again on 28 when Zaheer Khan grassed another straightforward chance.

In between those missed chances, Raina had lifted the tempo by smashing a four and a six and went on to club two more sixes before raising his half-century with his second boundary.

Together the duo added 72 in just 5.5 overs and although Dhoni departed, a few big hits from Albie Morkel and Srikkanth Anirudh helped the Super Kings keep the momentum.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin piled pressure on Mumbai opener Shikhar Dhawan by beginning with a maiden and Doug Bollinger picked off the batsman by having him edge to Dhoni in the second.

Tendulkar and Abhishek Nayar (27) got the chase back on track with a 66-run stand, although both presented Chennai with several opportunities with shoddy running and calling.

Nayar was eventually run out and Raina, introduced for the first time in the 12th over, also got rid of Harbhajan Singh - promoted up the order - in the same over.

The bigger blow, however, came in the 15th over when left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati removed Tendulkar and Saurabh Tiwary in the same over.

With Chennai needing 55 from the last three overs, the Super Kings were in dominant position, but Pollard narrowed the equation by hammering Bollinger for two sixes and two fours in the 18th which yielded 22.

However, both Rayudu (21), who had turned in a steady hand, and Pollard fell in the penultimate over from Morkel and the chase fizzled out.

Chennai Super Kings Storm into IPL SEMI-FINALS

MS Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath smashed half-centuries as Chennai sealed a six-wicket IPL victory over Mohali at Dharamsala.

Shaun Marsh made Chennai pay dearly for lapses in the field as he smashed an unbeaten 88 and, with excellent support from Irfan Pathan (44 not out) and Kumar Sangakkara (33), powered Kings XI to a formidable 192 for three.

In reply, Badrinath (53) and Suresh Raina (46) kept Mohali in the hunt before Dhoni (54 not out) finished off the chase with a couple of towering sixes.

The victory, with two deliveries to spare, lifts Chennai to second in the table and their superior net run rate all but assures them of a place in the semi-final later this week.

Mohali signalled aggressive intent at the start and maintained the tempo thanks to some poor fielding from Mohali.


Mahela Jayawardene smashed Sudeep Tyagi for two sixes in the first over and went on contribute 21 in an opening stand worth 34 before Tyagi took an outstanding catch at the mid-on to remove the Sri Lanka batsman.

Albie Morkel, however, put down a far more simple catch from Marsh in the next over while the batsman was on 10, a missed opportunity which proved costly for Mohali.

Marsh and Sangakkara rebuilt nicely and got Mohali close to the 100-run mark with a 56-run stand for the second wicket.


Sangakkara found the boundaries regularly and had looked in supreme touch until he went down on one knee to swipe off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin across the line, missed completely and was bowled.

Yuvraj Singh's cheap dismissal then gave Mohali a glimmer of hope, but Pathan quickly closed the door with a solid batting performance which helped Mohali to a strong total.


Marsh, who was dropped again at the start of the 19th over, put on 99 with Pathan and en route reached his seventh IPL half-century with a towering six off Raina.

Ramesh Powar then gave Mohali a strong start in the field by removing Matthew Hayden for five in his second over with the new ball.

Powar struck again in his next over to get rid of the other opener, Murali Vijay, but Raina and Badrinath revived the chase with a 62-run stand.

Raina hit three sixes and five fours and perished attempting a big shot off Juan Theron in the 10th over, but Badrinath forged on and together with Dhoni kept Chennai in contention.


Badrinath fell just after reaching his half-century and the Super Kings were left needing 45 from 20 deliveries at that stage.

Dhoni, however, upped the tempo and unleashed an array of attacking strokes as Chennai raced across the line

Chennai Super Kings Assaults Kolkatta Riders

R Ashwin bowled a virulent opening spell before Suresh Raina played an annihilative 78-run knock to bring Chennai Super Kings back in the semi-final hunt as the hosts scored a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their crucial IPL match here on Tuesday.

The Chennai team with this win, which came with 6.3 overs to spare, has virtually shut the semifinal door on Kolkata, who are languishing at number seven in the points table.

Chennai have jumped to second position from six in the points table and are tied on 12 points with four other teams as the race to the semi-finals is hotting up.

Ashwin's devastating three-wicket spell, in which he polished off the Kolkata top-order, set up the win as all Kolkata could manage on the board in the make-or-break match was just 139 for eight after electing to bat at M A Chidambaram stadium.

Wicket of Mathew Hayden was the lone blot in Chennai's chase as Raina's sublime knock, bejewelled with 11 fours and three sixes, did not give any chance to Kolkata to claw their way back in the match.

Raina's destructive innings came off just 39 balls and the left-hander finished the match in style with a six off Iqbal Abdullah as Chennai overhauled the target in 13.3 overs.

Murali Vijay played an unbeaten 50-run knock and supported Raina well with the duo raising an unbeaten 137-run partnership for the second wicket.

After cheap dismissal of Mathew Hayden (0) in the very first over, Raina ensured Chennai do go the Kolkata way and annihilated the rival attack with his fiery strokes.

The diminutive southpaw began his corrosive knock by hitting Ashok Dinda for three boundaries, of which two were exquisite off-side drives, in the paceman's first over.

Raina treated Kolkata bowlers with utter disdain and each and every Kolkata bowler bore the brunt of his fury.

In just six overs, Chennai had scored 67 runs and the match was very much in their hands.

Raina rattled up his half-century with a massive six off Abdullah after consuming just 24 balls. The fifty was laced with 10 boundaries.

Earlier, Ashwin's (3/16) devastating spin bowling spell punctured Kolkata's hopes of a good start as they lost four wickets at a score of 19 inside fifth over.

It was 73-run fifth-wicket partnership between Manoj Tiwary (27) and Angelo Mathews (48) that pulled Kolkata out of dire straits and gave something to their bowlers to defend.

Tiwary's 31 ball knock ended when he attempted to hit Suresh Raina out of the park but could only find Murali Vijay in the deep.

Mathews got out in the last over and hit two sixes, both off his compatriot Muttiah Muralitharan, and an equal number of fours in his run-a-ball innings.

At the start, after being hit for a massive six by Chris Gayle (7) in the first ball of the third over, Ashwin got his revenge in no time as he had the Caribbean batsmen stumped in the next ball.

Four balls later he had Brendon McCullum (0) caught by Muralithran just behind the short fine leg.

Aussie paceman Dough Bollinger (2/15) added to Kolkata's misery by trapping Ganguly (10), who though was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before by umpire Sanjay Hazare as the TV replays showed the ball would have missed leg stump.

The Kolkata players, sitting in the dug out, had hardly recovered from the shock start that Ashwin returned to cause more ripples by dismissing David Hussey (0) in the first ball of the fifth over to be on a hat-trick.

Huseey's dismissal was a terrific piece of work by Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the wicket.

Ashwin would have got his hat-trick but for umpire Simon Taufel decision as the Australian ruled out the catch appeal against the new man in Angelo Matthews of Sri Lanka.

TV replays showed that ball indeed touched the gloves of Mathews before landing in the hands of close fielder.

From there on the Sri Lankan made full use of the umpiring error and in company of Tiwary repaired the innings well.

Chennai Wins - Murali vijay shines

Opener Murali Vijay's dazzling century steered the record-breaking Chennai to a commanding 23-run victory over Jaipur.
Vijay, relishing his opening batsman role, smashed a terrific 127 which, along with a solid 62 from Albie Morkel and 34 from Matthew Hayden, took Chennai to a massive 246 for five - the highest total ever recorded in the IPL.

Shane Watson (60) and Naman Ojha (94 not out) replied well, but Jaipur were restricted to 223 for five.

Vijay had put his team in command from the outset, smashing Yusuf Pathan for a boundary in the first over and hitting Sumit Narwal, who shared the new ball, for a six and two boundaries off consecutive deliveries.

Chennai were soon blazing from both ends as Hayden too launched a ferocious attack, the former Australia opener smashing five boundaries and a six during his brief stay.

The opening partnership yielded 62, Hayden falling off the penultimate delivery of the power play, and Chennai then suffered perhaps their only blip - the dismissal of Suresh Raina for 13 shortly later.

However, Jaipur bowlers - including Shane Warne who conceded 32 from three overs - were largely ineffective and Vijay continued to bludgeon and blast.

Morkel kept the tempo up with mighty blows of his own and together the duo added 152 in 11 overs, Vijay going past the century mark for the first time in the IPL and Morkel reaching a half-century off only 26 deliveries.

Both batsmen fell in the final over, but Jaipur were already confronted with a massive target.

Jaipur, however, have never lacked courage and openers Michael Lumb (37) and Ojha gave spirited chase, helping the innings start well and leaving the visitors nicely placed at 62 without loss at the end of the powerplay.

Lumb, however, fell in the eighth over and Jaipur's trump card, Yusuf, was brilliantly caught on the long-on boundary by debutant Doug Bollinger two deliveries later, leaving the visitors in deep trouble.

Watson, playing his first match this season, joined Ojha and gave the Royals a glimmer of hope as he helped add 97 for the third wicket.

Jaipur were left needing 72 from the last five overs, but Watson was bowled by Bollinger at the start of the 16th and Chennai were back in control.

Bollinger was easily the best bowler on either side, finishing with two for 15 from his four overs.

Chennai superkings expecting for a win

Mohali will need to be more than ordinary if they are to upset a rampaging Chennai in their own backyard.
Mohali have lost all their three matches and their batsmen and bowlers have failed to perform as a unit.

In all the three matches, Mohali had worked themselves into a position from which they could have won. But they lost each time. Kumar Sangakkara’s men will have to get over the last-minute jitters against Chennai, who look well-settled, formidable and are clear favourites.

Matthew Hayden has been fantastic so far for Chennai. Suresh Raina also looked quite at ease with captaincy in the absence of regular skipper MS Dhoni. And, much to Mohali’s displeasure, their bowlers -- Albie Morkel, Balaji and Muttiah Muralitharan are also coming into their own.

Mohali have match-winners in skipper Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. However, they require Yuvraj Singh to fire. They team can also do with some contribution from Irfan Pathan, who dazzled against Hyderabad, and Sreesanth to take wickets upfront. If Piyush Chawla is influential with his leg-spin, it will be a bonus. The side is desperately missing the injured Brett Lee's bowling at the death.

Meanwhile, Dhoni could return to action sooner than expected, with the wicketkeeper-batsman likely to take the field against Mumbai on March 25.
Chennai vs. Mohali: Head to Head

Played: 5
Won by Chennai: 5 (Winning % 100.00)
Won by Punjab: 0

Approaching milestones:

- Matthew Hayden (872) requires 28 runs to become the fourth batsman after Gilchrist (1056), Raina (928) and Gambhir (901) to complete 900 runs or more in the IPL.

- Suresh Raina (928) needs 72 to become the second batsman after Gilchrist to complete 1,000 runs in the IPL.

- Irfan Pathan, with just one wicket, would be moving into the second place with 35 wickets behind RP Singh (41).

Chennai superkings great victory

Chennai bowlers put up a good show to help their side register a comfortable 55-run victory against Kolkata at Eden Gardens.

Justin Kemp dismissed two wickets of hosts Kolkata in quick succession as he packed off Angelo Mathews and Rohan Gavaskar.
Muralitharan followed soon by claiming the eighth one in Laxmiratan Shukla. R Ashwin then accounted for the penultimate wicket in Shane Bond. Murali Kartik was the last one to get run out.

Justin Kemp accounted for the fifth Kolkata wicket in skipper Sourav Ganguly as Morkel took the catch at deep midwicket.

Albie Morkel and Manpreet Gony struck early to rock Kolkata's ship as the hosts started their 165-run chase on a dismal note.

Ashwin caught Brad Hodge off Morkel to land the first wicket. Gony then accounted for Manoj Tiwary to deal another blow.

Then Laxmipathy Balaji got the better of Wriddhiman Saha's middle stump to send the third one packing.

After that Dhoni did a neat job behind the stumps to help Balaji land his second wicket in Owais Shah.

Skipper MS Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath brought Chennai back into the fray after Kolkata dealt them quick successive blows. Dhoni hit a half-century (66) and Badrinath also contributed 43 runs to lead Chennai to 164/3.

Brad Hodge accounted for the third Chennai wicket in Suresh Raina.

Murali Vijay was the second batsman to depart when Laxmi Shukla got the better of his stumps.

Chennai lost an important wicket in Matthew Hayden as Ishant Sharma dismissed him as soon as he got off the mark.

Chennai skipper MS Dhoni called right at the toss and chose to bat first against Kolkata at Eden Gardens.

With back-to-back victories, Kolkata must be raring to go against Chennai in their IPL match today.

His decision to promote Virender Sehwag to the opening slot had made history, a benchmark for a captain's thinking ability. Now Sourav Ganguly is at it again. He is trying to do the same with Manoj Tiwary. For Sehwag, it was in the longest version of the game and for Manoj, it is in the shortest version.

But the impact is the same! Manoj, too, had never opened in his entire cricketing life except on one or two club matches, before he was instructed to do the same for Kolkata by Sourav.

Playing XI:
Kolkata: Sourav Ganguly (C), Brad Hodge, Manoj Tiwary, Owais Shah, Laxmi Shukla, Rohan Gavaskar, Angelo Mathews, Wriddhiman Saha (W), Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Shane Bond.

Chennai: Murali Vijay, Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina, Justin Kemp, MS Dhoni (C) (W), Subramaniam Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Muttiah Muralidaran, Manpreet Gony.