Raina, McCullum leave Dolphins all at sea

September 22, 2014 07:59 pm | Updated September 23, 2014 02:24 am IST - Bangalore

Chennai Super Kings bulldozed its way to a 54-run win over the Dolphins here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday to more than make up for the loss in its campaign-opener.

After being put in to bat, CSK thrived in the role of a school bully, mercilessly robbing the frail Dolphins squad of their lunch and pocket money, before throwing a few unanswered punches at the already demoralised victims. In the 20 allocated overs, the ‘home’ side whipped 16 sixes and 17 fours to amass an incredible 242 for six.

Chennai’s intentions were particularly clear every time a wicket fell, as the next batsman would cut loose as soon as he arrived at the crease. With no reason to distrust the bounce or the pace of the pitch, they simply found no reason to play themselves in.

Effortless hitting

This was best illustrated by Ravindra Jadeja (40 n.o., 14b, 3x4, 3x6), who effortlessly tonked left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj for two straight sixes off his first two balls, before helping himself to another 11 runs before the over’s completion.

The story was much the same before Jadeja’s stint. Opener Brendon McCullum (49 off 25 balls) and one-drop Suresh Raina (90, 43b, 4x4, 8x6) put on a clinic, striking everything thrown at them clean and far.

While McCullum preferred the straight boundary, Raina ditched style for substance as he took a liking to the slog-sweep towards cow corner.

The Dolphins began its innings with equal disdain for the bowling, with Cameron Delport leading the counter-charge.

The southpaw struck five fours and two maximums in his nine-ball stay, which was cut short by Mohit Sharma’s slower ball. Delport’s 34 had powered Dolphins to 56 for two in three overs.

Despite Delport’s heroics, the batsmen to come still faced a herculean task. The high required run-rate meant that even when the runs began to flow, it took only a couple of dot balls to pull the Dolphins off track.

CSK’s all-rounder Dwyane Bravo put the issue to rest with his clever reading the pitch, as he opted to take the pace off his deliveries to fox the opponents. The West Indian finished with figures of two for 17 in four overs, and he, along with Mohit Sharma (four for 41), ensured a second straight defeat for the South African team.

CSK equalled the highest total in CLT20. Otago Volts had scored 242 for four against Perth Scorchers in 2013

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