Chennai Moves on top With Record Win

Chennia: Chennai Super Kings beat Kings XI Punjab by 97 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Saturday. Now CSK move on top of points table, while KXIP push to bottom.

Batting first, CSK scores 192 for three and then spun KXIP out of the contest to record a big victory.

Last year, KXIP had won all the matches between them, all of which were high-scoring encounters. The first match had seen KXIP chase down a huge score, with Glenn Maxwell starring.

However, Maxwell was not picked for this game as George Bailey returned after injury. Since Shaun Marsh and David Miller had performed very well and could not be ignored. Maxwell has struggled in this IPL and hence had to make way.

KXIP never looked in the game after Virender Sehwag was dismissed in the first over. Murali Vijay fought a touch but cut a lone figure as wickets kept falling at the other end.

Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin took five wickets between them and conceded only 36 runs. Their spell in the middle overs broke the back of KXIP’s run-chase as they slumped to a heavy defeat.

Earlier on the day, CSK opted to bat first, led by Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, they raced to fifty inside five overs. McCullum was in great form and smashed his way to a 32-ball fifty. He was smashing it down the ground if it was in his arc. A bit short, and McCullum would go over the leg-side. Fortune did play its part as Mitchell Johnson had dropped a skier when he was on 21.

Ravindra Jadeja batted at No. 5 ahead of Dwayne Bravo and Faf du Plessis. They did not get to bat in the game as CSK lost only three wickets. CSK did the same against the RCB and one wonders whether they will persist with this strategy in the games ahead. They now remain strong in the top half of the table, whereas last year’s finalists, KXIP, are struggling in the lower section.

Brief scores
Chennai Super Kings - 192/3 (McCullum 66, Dhoni 41*)
Kings XI Punjab - 95/9 (Vijay 34, Jadeja 3-22, Ashwin 2-14, Nehra 2-16)
Result - Chennai Super Kings won by 97 runs
Points - Chennai Super Kings 2, Kings XI Punjab 0