Saturday, May 28, 2011

Chennai thump Bangalore, maintain IPL supremacy

                              Chennai overcome Bangalore for a place in IPL final

Opener Murali Vijay cracking 95 runs off just 52 balls to help the defending champions pile up 205-5 Ravichandran Ashwin removed first Bangalore Open early, ensuring a fine victory for the hosts in a packed Chidambaram Stadium.

League-toppers Bangalore, seeking their first IPL title, folded to 147-8 off 20 overs.

For Chennai, it was their eighth consecutive victory at home this season, underlining their dominance in home conditions.

The home side owed their victory to Vijay in the record 159-run stand for the first wicket with Australian Michael Hussey (63) set the platform for a winning total after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat first.

Their stand surpassed the 155-run partnership between Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman against Mumbai in the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008.

"I was concentrating on converting my own starting today, as it has not always happened this season," said Vijay, a man by the name of the game.

"This (Chennai) is a special unit from the title and keep it really feels great."

Bangalore Chase was soon derailed by off-spinner Ashwin (3-16) to get rid of the dangerous Chris Gayle for a duck in the first over.

Gayle, who still finished as the highest run-getter with 608 runs from 12 innings, he offered an outer edge which was snapped up by Dhoni behind the doors.

Gayle's dismissal triggered a collapse with Bangalore losing their next six wickets in 11 overs to be reduced to 70-6, a situation which could never really recover.

Saurabh Tiwary offered resistance with an unbeaten 42, but others simply Bangalore batsmen buckled under pressure.

"It would have been a much better game if we could put on a show like bowling on Friday (against Mumbai), but it was not to be," said captain Daniel Vettori Bangalore.

"I think 160-170 would have been chaseable but they opened the game away from us."

Vijay, said that the weak link in the Chennai line-up after an indifferent run with the bat in the tournament, has decided to make amends to the big stage, unleashing six six and four fours in his knock at the funeral home.

Hussey also hit, hitting three sixes and as many boundaries in his 45-ball innings before holing out to Abhimanyu Mithun near the boundary ropes off left-arm spinner Syed Mohammad.

Vijay, who seemed to struggle in hot and humid conditions during the latter part of his innings, missed out on a deserved century when he offered a simple catch to Vettori off Paceman Aravind Sreenath.

Aravind struck again off the ball very close to remove Dhoni, caught off a full launch of Virat Kohli after making 22 which included two sixes in an over from Gayle.

Gayle also had two branches in two balls, putting off Albie Morkel and Suresh Raina in the 20th over with his wily off-break.

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