Ranchi: Riding on a solid batting performance, the formidable Chennai Super Kings opened their Champions League Twenty20 campaign in style, defeating South Africa’s Titans by four wickets in a high-scoring encounter here on Sunday.
Mike Hussey (47) and Suresh Raina (47) clobbered the Titan bowlers to add 89 runs in just 44 balls for the second-wicket, which swung the match decisively in CSK’s favour.
CSK supremo N Srinivasan might be facing a lot of trouble off the field, but his players did not have any discomfort in chasing down a daunting target of 186 with seven balls to spare.
Dwayne Bravo too played an enterprising innings of 26-ball 38, laced with four fours and two sixes, as Chennai scored 187 for six in 18.5 overs.
Hussey and Raina negated AB de Villiers’ whirlwind half-century for the Titans in the first innings as the CSK squeezed their way to a comprehensive win.
de Villiers would have thought the job was done after his 36-ball 77 helped the Titans post a daunting target for Chennai. However, Hussey and Raina made proficient use of an insipid line bowled by the Titan bowlers and stitched a match-winning partnership after the early loss of opener Murali Vijay (0), who was bowled by an arm ball by Roelof van der Merwe.
The stadium again witnessed a brief power failure when one of the floodlights conked off and players left the arena. After a brief stoppage, players came back on the field and Merwe completed the first over.
Titan bowlers erred by feeding Hussey and Raina with short-pitched deliveries that were dispatched to the deep mid-wicket fence on most occasions. Both put on display their prolific shotmaking and quick running between the wickets as they brought the home crowd to their feet.
The pair was separated in the eighth over when Morkel caught Raina off David Wiese at mid-off. Raina’s 28-ball knock was laced with five fours and two sixes.
Hussey too made his way back to the pavillion after being caught by de Villiers at mid-off. Hussey faced 26 deliveries and hit seven fours and one six.
Dwayne Bravo and S Badrinath combined well for the fourth wicket and took Chennai from 114 for three in 10 overs to 172 for four.
Bravo showed no mercy to Titan bowlers as he continued the onslaught and struck two sixes during his innings to take Chennai within sniffing distance of victory.
Just at the business end of the innings, Chennai lost three quick wickets in the form of Bravo, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (7) and Ravindra Jadeja (0) but Albie Morkel (4) and Badrinath ensured no more casualties.
Earlier, de Villiers’s hurricane knock and skipper Davids’ responsible 52 paved the way for Titans’ challenging total against the home favourites.
Sent in to bat, South African T20 runners-up Titans built on the 39-ball 76-run partnership between Davids and de Villiers for the second wicket to post a competitive total. (PTI)
SCORECARD
Titans:
H Davids st Dhoni b Ashwin 52
J Rudolph run out 21
AB de Villiers c Bravo b Jadeja 77
F Behardien c Holder b Bravo 21
D Wiese c Ashwin b Bravo 0
R van der Merwe not out 1
M Mosehle not out 4
Extras: (b-1, lb-5, w-3) 9
Total: (5 wkts; 20 overs) 185
FOW: 1-46, 2-122, 3-154, 4-154, 5-179
Bowling: Mohit 4-0-27-0, Holder 4-0-25-0, Ashwin 4-0-36-1, A Morkel 1-0-8-0, Jadeja 3-0-49-1, Bravo 4-0-34-2
Chennai Super Kings:
M Huss’ c d Villiers b M Morkel 47
M Vijay b van der Merwe 0
S Raina c Morkel b Wiese 47
S Badrinath not out 20
D Bravo c Mosehle b Richards 38
Dhoni c de Villiers b Richards 7
R Jadeja b Richards 0
A Morkel not out 4
Extras: (W-24) 24
Total: (6 wkts; 18.5 overs) 187
FOW: 1-6, 2-95, 3-114, 4-172, 5-181, 6-183
Bowling: van der Merwe 3-0-25-1, M Morkel 4-0-47-1, Richards 3.5-0-29-3, de Lange 3-0-34-0, Wiese 3-0-29-1, Davids 2-0-23-0