Clinical Chennai beats Kochi

Posted May 19, 2011 06:07:00

Wriddhiman Saha scored a responsible 46 not out to set up an 11-run win for Chennai Super Kings against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the Indian Premier League overnight.

Saha cracked three sixes and a four in his 33-ball knock as Chennai posted a competitive 5 for 152 before restricting Kochi to 5 for 141 on a slow track at the Chidambaram Stadium.

The victory, Chennai's seventh in a row at home, moved Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side to the top of the points table with nine wins from 13 outings.

IPL debutants Kochi bowed out of the tournament after going down to its eighth defeat from 14 games in the Twenty20 competition.

Brad Hodge top-scored with an unbeaten 51 off 42 balls to keep Kochi in the hunt but lacked support from the other batsmen.

Chennai did not get the start it would have wanted after electing to bat, losing three quick wickets inside nine overs against some fine bowling and catching by paceman Rudra Pratap Singh.

After shattering the off-stump of opener Murali Vijay with a stinging yorker, Singh pulled off a stunning catch of Subramaniam Badrinath by diving to his right and picking the ball inches off the ground.

Australian Mike Hussey, whose clean catch by Parthiv Patel off an attempted paddle sweep was turned down by umpire Rudi Koertzen, lifted the innings briefly with a 37-ball 32.

Saha, a surprise selection in India's one-day and Twenty20 squad for the upcoming tour of West Indies, provided the late impetus to take the total past the 150-run mark.

- AFP

Tags: sport, cricket, india

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Kochi, Mumbai win in IPL thrillers

Posted April 21, 2011 06:56:00

Kochi Tuskers Kerala pulled off a stunning six-run win against favourites Kolkata Knight Riders in a thrilling Indian Premier League match.

Ravindra Jadeja struck an 18-ball 29 with three sixes and a four to take Kochi to 7 for 132 before Kolkata were restricted to 9 for 126 off 20 overs on a slow Eden Gardens track.

In the other match of the day, Mumbai Indians rode on a clinical effort by their bowlers to hand a seven-wicket thrashing to Pune Warriors from the final ball and register their third win in four matches.

Kolkata, leading the points table before this match, lost quick wickets in its chase and could never recover from the early setbacks despite a fighting 46-run knock by Manoj Tiwary.

Jadeja impressed with the ball as well, picking up two wickets including the key scalp of Tiwary.

It was Kolkata's second defeat from five outings and Kochi's third win from as many games.

Spinners Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan earlier shared six wickets after Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to field.

New Zealand star Brendon McCullum (23) and Mahela Jayawardene (25) gave Kochi a steady start, putting on 49 runs for the opening wicket.

It was Bangladesh left-arm spinner Shakib who gave Kolkata a key breakthrough when he had McCullum caught by Eoin Morgan while Pathan accounted for Jayawardene, Brad Hodge and Parthiv Patel in quick succession.

In Mumbai, Munaf Patel grabbed three wickets for eight runs while Ali Murtaza and Abu Nechim took two apiece to bowl out Pune for 118 in 17.2 overs before Mumbai overhauled the target off the last ball.

Skipper Sachin Tendulkar scored a fine 35 off 39 balls and shared 74 runs for the second wicket with Ambati Rayudu (37) to set the platform for the chase.

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds (16 not out) hit two fours in the 18th over and Rohit Sharma (20 not out) brought off the winning runs with a six to give Mumbai their third victory in four matches.

Pune failed to bat out 20 overs despite a 45-run knock by Robin Uthappa who perished to a blinder of a catch by West Indian Kieron Pollard.

It was the second defeat for the IPL debutants in four games.

-AFP

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