Singh leads Chennai demolition of Bangalore
INDIA’S Harbhajan Singh led an inspired spin attack to help Chennai Super Kings open the 2019 Indian Premier League season with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday.
Singh and South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir claimed three wickets each to dismiss Royal Challengers for a paltry 70, a total the defending champions achieved with 14 balls to spare in Chennai.
Captain MS Dhoni, who led the Super Kings to their third IPL title after returning from an illegal gambling ban last year, elected to field first in the 12th edition of the world’s most popular Twenty20 league.
The Super Kings got their first breakthrough after Singh bowled Royal Challengers skipper Virat Kohli for six in the fourth over.
He then ran through their top-order with his wily offspin, getting the big wickets of England’s Moeen Ali for nine and South African AB de Villiers, also for nine.
West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer was run out for nought and soon the Royal Challengers’ batting crumbled.
Super Kings opener Parthiv Patel top-scored with 29 and remained the only batsman to cross double figures in what was the IPL’s sixth-lowest total.
Chasing 71 for victory, Super Kings lost opener Shane Watson for nought.
Ambati Rayudu, who made 28, and Suresh Raina, who scored 19, then put on 32 runs to get the chase on track.
Raina became the first batsman in IPL history to pass 5000 runs during his 21-ball stay. Raina (5004) now leads Kohli (4954).
Ali dismissed Raina and Rayudu was cleaned up by paceman Mohammed Siraj. Kedar Jadhav, on 13, and Ravindra Jadeja, on six, took the Super Kings home.