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Super Kings has the last laugh

S. Dinakar

— Photo: PTI

TOUGH LUCK: Chennai Super Kings’ skipper M.S. Dhoni commiserates with Mumbai Indians’ captain Harbhajan Singh after the latter’s team lost narrowly on Wednesday.

Chennai: In a format created to favour batsmen and big hitting, a bowler won the match for Chennai Super Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Wednesday.

Young paceman Manpreet Singh Goni’s four immaculate overs at the beginning of the Mumbai Indians’ innings proved the decisive spell in a crucial Indian Premier League duel in front of a packed audience.

Bowling with control and working around the basics, Goni conceded just 18 runs in his four overs.

Super Kings won but not before surviving a scare after some hectic hitting by Abhishek Nayar (45 n.o., 20b, 6x4, 1x6) and skipper Harbhajan Singh in the end overs. A barrage of fours and sixes brought Mumbai Indians desperately close.

Joginder Sharma, once again, was alive at the death.

Second win

Defending 208, the host clinched a thriller by six runs for its second successive victory in the competition. Mumbai Indians is without a win in two games.

Mumbai Indians faltered at the start. S. Badrinath scored a direct hit from point to catch Luke Ronchi short of the crease at the non-striker’s end.

Not much later, key man Sanath Jayasuriya was unable to pick the impressive Manpreet Singh Goni’s change of pace.

Goni bowled tight from one end, but Jacob Oram suffered at the other as Robin Uthappa (43 off 36 balls) cut loose.

The batsman displayed power and finesse before swishing at a delivery from Joginder Sharma to lose his leg stump.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni shuffled his bowlers, led with a combination of instinct and foresight.

With the ability to get his deliveries to skid off the surface, Joginder can be a dicey bowler in this format and Dhoni used him to break partnerships.

A youngster like Palani Amarnath held his nerve — after being struck for a six — to castle Pollock.

The scores: Chennai Super Kings: 208 for five in 20 overs.

Mumbai Indians: L. Ronchi (run out) 2, S. Jayasuriya c Joginder b Gony 20, R. Uthappa b Joginder 43, S. Pollock b Amarnath 17, D. Bravo c Oram b Joginder 24, A. Nayar (not out) 45, M. Khote c Raina b Muralitharan 9, Harbhajan c Badrinath b Muralitharan 28, A. Nehra (not out) 1; Extras (lb-5, w-6, nb-2): 13; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs) 202.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-30, 3-81, 4-97, 5-130, 6-141, 7-189.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Oram 4-0-53-0, Gony 4-1-18-1, Joginder 4-0-29-2, Amarnath 4-0-57-1, Muralitharan 4-0-40-2.

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