Chennai make it to last four

28th May 2008

In a match that was more critical to the visitors than to the hosts, the home captain Adam Gilchrist won the toss and opted to take first strike on a wicket that had good bounce and would offer batsmen good shot-making opportunities. The prolific Rohit Sharma missed out on an outing due to an injury, while Shahid Afridi was presented with yet another opportunity to match up to his reputation; these were the two changes among a handful of changes the Chargers had made to their previous playing XI. The Chennai Super Kings though, continued to show faith in the same XI that lost to the Royals last weekend.

After surviving a close leg before shout against Manpreet Gony in the second over, Gibbs (8) then slashed at a wide one from compatriot Makhaya Ntini in the next over to hand Balaji at third man a simple catch. Gilchrist's lofted off drive in Gony's second over landed in no man's land, but when he tried to chance his arm yet again off the following delivery, he found the hands of Abhinav Mukund - this time on the point fence; the Chargers' skipper was gone for 5, and the hosts were 15 for 2.

With two of their renowned strikers back in the hutch, the Chargers' scoring rate predictably slowed down. When the fielding restrictions had elapsed at the end of the sixth over, the Chargers had only 26 runs on the board.

Scott Styris and Venugopal Rao, promoted to number four in the batting order, then kept the scoreboard ticking for the next six overs - the duo added 42 runs in 39 deliveries, when a sudden rush of blood saw Styris play a wild shot against the wily Muttiah Muralidaran only to find the woodwork behind him disturbed. The 20-year-old opener-converted-to-middle-order-batsman Ravi Teja then struck a good chord with Venugopal Rao, and the duo started to keep the scoreboard ticking with singles. With seven overs left to go, the duo stepped on the accelerator and started finding the boundaries regularly.

There was at least one boundary in each of the overs from fourteen to eighteen. The fifty-run partnership for the fourth wicket came off 37 balls, and the platform was set for the final assault. In his pursuit for quick runs, Teja went after a Morkel bouncer, but only managed a top edge which was neatly pouched by Mukund at short mid wicket. Disaster followed next when Gony's throw from long leg and quick glovework by Parthiv Patel caught Venugopal Rao short of his ground.

Two wickets in two balls became three in three when Albie Morkel's yorker was too hot for Arjun Yadav to handle - the stumps behind him was all shambles, and the Chargers had suddenly lost their way. Afridi lasted just two deliveries, but RP Singh wielded his bat to good effect in the last over, and helped his team reach 147.

Had the Chargers not lost five wickets in the last couple of overs, their total could have been more around 175 than the eventual 147.

For the Super Kings, all the bowlers were among the wickets - L Balaji (2 for 34) and Albie Morkel (2 for 37) were more successful than Makhaya Ntini (1 for 24), Manpreet Gony (1 for 21) and Muralidaran (1 for 22).

Chasing a mediocre target of 148, the Super Kings got off to a good start. Parthiv Patel and Stephen Fleming slammed five boundaries in the first three overs, including one between wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and first slip Scott Styris. In the third over of the run-chase, Stephen Fleming went after a wide one from Vijaykumar, but only managed to edge it through to Gilchrist behind the stumps.

The next five overs saw common-sense batting; Suresh Raina and Patel, while scoring the occasional boundary, kept the scoreboard ticking with singles - the Chargers' generosity by means of wide deliveries also contributed to Chennai's score. Just when it looked like the Super Kings were in control of proceedings, young Patel (20) cracked one straight into the hands of Afridi at short cover.

MS Dhoni got off to a cheeky start - Sarvesh Kumar, the bowler, didn't react soon enough to cling on to a return catch offered by the Super Kings' captain. Despite batting with a bruised ankle, Dhoni ran well between the wickets, and struck the occasional boundary, while Raina kept knocking the ball into the gaps and giving his captain more of the strike. The 50-run partnership between the two small-town boys came up in 36 balls, and at this stage, the Super Kings looked set for a comfortable win.

Dhoni tried to chance his arm against the young Pragyan Ojha, but the left arm spinner deceived the Super Kings' skipper in the flight, and Dhoni (37) would hole out to Herschelle Gibbs at long on. Dhoni's wicket, followed by some very clever bowling changes, and some excellent ground fielding meant that the Super Kings found runs hard to come by.

But Pragyan Ojha's final over, the eighteenth of the innings, once again tilted the scales in favour of the visitors - the left arm spinner was hit for 11 runs, and the equation would change to 17 runs needed from 12 balls. RP Singh conceded ten runs off the penultimate over, and the Super Kings were left needing seven runs from the last six balls.

Morkel then got off the strike with a single off the first ball and left the big hitting to his well-set partner. Raina, batting on 48, needed no second invitation, and hit Vijaykumar for a six over long on to seal the match and a spot in the semi-final for his team.

Chennai, by virtue of this win, move up the ladder to 16 points, which puts them beyond the reach of contenders Mumbai Indians.

The Deccan Chargers, who have been at the receiving end of seven last-over finishes, finish their IPL campaign right at the bottom of the table, and their search for their first win at home continues into the next season.