Ranchi: Suresh Raina smashed a quickfire half-century but it was the heroics of skipper MS Dhoni, who produced a belligerent unbeaten knock of 63, that helped Chennai Super Kings post a massive total and pull off a narrow 12-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Champions League T20 match, here on Thursday.
Chasing a daunting 203-run target, Darren Sammy fought cramp and the charged-up opposition to score an attacking 25-ball 50 while skipper Shikhar Dhawan hit a 34-ball 48 at the top of the order, but their efforts fell short in the end.
Sammy looked determined not to go down without a fight but the pressure of a mounting run rate weighed heavily on Sunrisers as they finished on 190 for seven.
Sent in to bat, Raina’s 57-ball 84 was perfectly matched by Dhoni’s pyrotechnics as the local skipper broke the spirit of the Sunrisers bowlers with his ruthless batting display to propel Chennai Super Kings to 202 for four.
Such was the brutality as neither speed nor spin provided any challenge to Dhoni as he decorated his 19-ball knock with an astonishing eight sixes.
There was no mistaking the impact Dhoni’s arrival had on the innings and no one could better understand it than Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera, who was smashed for five huge sixes in the 18th over.
Dhoni, in the process, also struck the fastest fifty in the history of the Champions League, reaching the landmark in just 16 balls and surpassing West Indian Kieron Pollard’s record (50 off 18 balls).
Dhoni played a leader’s innings of the finest order and, together with Raina, put on a 60-run partnership in just 23 balls for the fourth wicket. The last five overs produced 76 runs for CSK.
Before Dhoni’s arrival, the show belonged entirely to Raina and his powerful strokeplay.
Walking in to bat after the dismissal of opener Murali Vijay, Raina unleashed an assault on the Sunrisers pacers in the middle part of the innings, launching them over the mid-wicket and long-off boundaries with consummate ease.
Raina walked back to the pavillion in the penultimate over.
Steyn was the most economical bowler for Sunrisers with a figure of two for 23 while Perera went for 60 runs from his three overs.
Sunrisers needed a solid start to their run-chase and their openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel, did just that as both made the most of the fielding restrictions to take the team past 50-mark in 5.2 overs.
Both showed the right intent as they went after the CSK frontline bowlers from the start and pierced the gaps well.
Sunrisers reached 89 for 0 in nine overs, needing another 116 runs in 11 overs.
Dhoni introduced Raina into the attack and the move immediately paid dividends.
The part timer first effected a run-out off his own bowling to send back Patel for a 28-ball 38 and break the 88-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Raina then cleaned up J P Duminy for a golden duck to leave Sunrisers stutter at 90 for two in 10 overs.
Dhawan was caught behind off Ravichandran Ashwin after a well-made 48.
Sunrisers faltered in their chase as they lost Thisara Perera for 12 with score reading 107 for four.
All hopes rested with Sammy and he did his reputation no harm with three huge sixes off Ravindra Jadeja’s first over to somewhat put the run-chase back on track.
But his departure in the 19th over effectively shut the door on Hyderabad. (PTI)
SCORECARD
Chennai Super Kings:
M Vijay c Dhawan b Steyn 0
M Hussey c Patel b Duminy 23
S Raina c Perera b Steyn 84
S Badrinath c Steyn b Duminy 13
MS Dhoni not out 63
DJ Bravo not out 6
Extras: (w-12, nb-1) 13
Total: (4 wkts; 20 overs) 202
FOW: 1-0, 2-45, 3-115, 4-175
Bowling: Steyn 4-0-23-2, Ishant 4-0-40-0, Duminy 4-0-27-2, Mishra 2-0-13-0, Perera 3-0-60-0, Sammy 3-0-39-0
Hyderabad Sunrisers:
P Patel run out 38
S Dhawan c Dhoni b Ashwin 48
JP Duminy b Raina 0
T Perera c Vijay b Bravo 12
D Sammy b Holder 50
AA Reddy c Dhoni b Bravo 3
K Sharma c Vijay b Holder 11
D Steyn not out 10
H Vihari not out 5
Extras: (lb-4, w-8, nb-2) 14
Total: (7 wkts; 20 overs) 191
FOW: 1-88, 2-90, 3-92, 4-107, 5-138, 6-170, 7-176
Bowling: Mohit 4-0-41-0, A Morkel 2-0-19-0, Ashwin 4-0-32-1, Holder 4-0-40-2, Raina 1-0-3-1, Bravo 4-0-30-2, Jadeja 1-0-22-0