Clinical CSK cull Challengers
A commanding bowling performance by Chennai Super Kings squashed the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 27 runs in their Indian Premier League match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Ashish Nehra was the bowling star for CSK, picking up four wickets for a mere 10 runs as he put an end to any hopes of victory RCB might have been nursing.
Earlier, Suresh Raina once again muscled his way to a blistering half-century to silence the home fans on a night when a light drizzle delayed the start by 25 minutes.
Propelled by Raina’s 62 off a mere 32 balls with six huge sixes and four boundaries and aided by Dwayne Smith’s brisk 39 at the top, Chennai Super Kings, who appeared to be looking at a 200-plus at one stage, were contained to 181 for eight with Faf du Plessis, coming lower down the order guiding them to the competitive total.
Dark clouds which gathered over the M. Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday evening cast a gloom over the fans but with the weather clearing quickly, the game was on and Virat Kohli opted to send the visitors in boosted by the presence of Mitchell Starc, who further stamped his reputation as a top class bowler.
Bringing in Yuzvendra Chahal in the second over, Kohli hit pay dirt as the leg- gie got rid off the dangerous Brendon McCullum with his fifth delivery to spark wild celebrations in the home camp. But the joy proved short-lived as Raina joined forces with Smith. If the first five produced a sedate 38 with the fifty itself taking 7.2 overs, it was a cannon ball run after that.
Raina kept dancing out of the crease and swinging his arms with abandon, repeatedly targeting the long-on and mid-wicket fences as he added 58 (42b) for the second with Smith, who hammered 17 off David Wiese in the 8th over. Though Smith fell to Harshal Patel in the next over, Raina piled on the agony clubbing RCB’s best bowler on the day, Chahal (3-40) for three consecutive sixes in the 13th over before holing out to Rilee Rossouw at long-off in going for a fourth.
The 54 (24b) that Raina added with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the third set the platform for the visitors.