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Chennai Super Kings puts it past Kings XI Punjab

G. Viswanath

Ntini, Gony account for Punjab top order batsmen

— Photo: K. Pichumani

PRIZE SCALP: Kings XI Punjab’s batting mainstay Shaun Marsh is bowled by Chennai Super Kings’ Makhaya Nitini in the second semifinals on Saturday.

Mumbai: Excelling in all departments of the game, Chennai Super Kings outwitted and outplayed its opponent right through the two sessions on Saturday evening. A hat-trick of wins — the third by an emphatic nine wickets — against the Kings XI Punjab took it to the championship final to be played at the D.Y. Patil Stadium on Sunday.

It has been an absorbing and engaging DLF-IPL summer and the least the packed house at the Wankhede Stadium expected was absorbing semifinal.

Though the first knock-out match turned out to be one-sided and was dominated by Rajasthan Royals, the crowd had the pleasure of seeing bold and sparkling shots hit by the Jaipur batsmen in the first session.

It was not a misfortune that befell the Mohali side. Somewhat cocky, their selection of shots was poor and they paid heavily for it. Once Chennai drew first blood in the second over of the match, and Kumar Sangakkara walked, it took control of the semifinal through incisive spells from Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Gony.

Fine bowling

It was a fine exhibition of fast, seam and smart bowling from an experienced operator with the new ball and another a tyro, but who on Saturday by sheer exhibition of his talent in little under two months, and especially in the IPL, has won the vote of confidence from the national selectors.

Gony will be the India ‘A’ team’s spearhead in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia in July.

The Supper Kings suffered a blow when Stephen Fleming’s replacement S.Vidyut fell in the third over, but Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina were not going to let go an golden opportunity slip through.

They played sensible cricket, scored superb half centuries and towards the end struck the big blows to rub it on. The two left handers go into the final putting on morale boosting undefeated 102 run stand.

Earlier Shaun Marsh began in a flourish, but Chennai Super Kings bounced back quickly with Ntini and Gony. Bowling their four over spells on the trot they caused all the devastation. It was a virtual crawl for the Mohali side before the lower order hit out to take the score past the three figure mark and leave a target of 113.

An act of sportsmanship from Kumara Sangakkara would linger for a long time. He walked with Gony still asking the question of the umpire.

Opening salvo

Marsh fired the opening salvo quickly latching on to an opportunity firmly driving Muttiah Muralitharan in the first ball sent down by the Super Kings off-spinner. The left hander’s front-foot shot split the two cover fielders inside the ring and raced to the fence.

It was a good ploy to begin with the side’s leading spinner, a well-thought out strategy against an in-form batsman, but nonetheless a batsman who was not acquainted with the world’s leading off-spinner.

The first over produced seven runs and Kings XI Punjab appeared to have made a decent and confident start. . Marsh’s first ball cover drive and a confident and middle-of-the-bat-it straight drive off Makhaya Ntini conveyed the intent of the batsman though he saw his opening partner James Hopes failing again with a feeble shot.

The fall of the first Kings XI Punjab wicket in the ninth ball was the catalyst that pushed the Super Kings to heights it would have probably not dreamed off.

There were no more free offerings to the left handers as Ntini and Gony generated pace, lift and maintained their line in the corridor of uncertainty to put their side on the top before the power play over was completed.

The Super Kings’ fielding, though a bit loose when a misdirected throw gifted extra runs, stood up to the challenge, was smart and was responsible was the two dismissals — of Irfan Pathan and Wilkin Mota; Ntini and Suresh Raina’s efforts were top class.

The Chennai side made inroads in almost every over after Marsh demonstrated his aggressive intentions. His exit, under-edging Ntini’s short ball immediately after a well-timed punched down the ground marked the beginning of the Mohali side losing control of its innings after it won the toss and elected to bat.

The scores:

Kings XI Punjab: S. Marsh b Ntini 23, J. Hopes c Patel b Ntini 2, K. Sangakkara c Patel b Gony 3, Yuvraj Singh c Muralitharan b Gony 4, M. Jayawardene c Patel b Morkel 8, I. Pathan run out 3, W. Mota c Raina b Morkel 25, P. Chawla b Muralitharan 12, R. Powar (not out) 28, S. Sreesanth not out (0); Extras (b-2, w-2): 4; Total (for eight wickets in 20 overs) 112.

Fall of wkts: 1-8, 2-11, 3-28, 4-34, 5-40,6-45, 7-63, 8-98.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Muralitharan 4-0-19-1, Ntini 4-0-23-2, Gony 4-1-14-2, Morkel 4-0-27-2, Balaji 4-0-27-0.

Chennai Super Kings: P. Patel (not out) 51, S. Vidyut c Mota b I. Pathan 6, S. Raina (not out) 55; Extras (w-4) 4; Total (for one wicket in 14.5 overs) 116.

Fall of wicket: 1-14

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Irfan Pathan 4-0-24-1, Sreesanth 1-0-7-0, Powar 3-0-28-0, V.R.V. Singh 2-0-14-0, Hopes 2-0-20-0, Chawla 2.5-0-23-0.

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