29 May,2011 08:54 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
Opener Murali hammers 52-ball 95 (4x4, 6x6) ably assisted by partner Michael Hussey (63 off 45), as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by a comprehensive 58-run margin to clinch fourth edition of domestic Twenty20 league
Chennai Super Kings retained their Indian Premier League (IPL) title with a 58-run win against Royal Challengers Bangalore in front of 40,000 screaming fans here at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. Bangalore, who attempted to tame the lion in their own den, were handed a royal trouncing. They conceded a massive 205-5, before faltering to 147-8 after 20 overs.
CSK players celebrate their 58-run victory over Royal Challengers
Bangalore in the IPL-IV final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in
Chennai on Saturday. Pic/ AFP
Chennai openers Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey added 159 runs, pouncing on the excessive short-pitched bowling from Bangalore, combining for nine sixes in a brutal display of batsmanship. Vijay, in particular, was swift in picking the length of the bowlers, hitting a total of four sixes through the on-side, besides two strikes over long-off. The assault began when Vijay slapped S Aravind through deep square-leg for a majestic six to end the second over on a high for Chennai. The first ball of the next over saw Hussey hoist Zaheer Khan through deep mid-wicket. CSK raced along to 26-0 after three overs, and didn't hold back against Bangalore's left-arm spin duo of Daniel Vettori and Syed Mohammed.u00a0u00a0
Hussey took to young Mohammed, and Vijay belted a Chris Gayle delivery over long-on on the first ball of the sixth. When on 40, Vijay was dropped by Luke Pomersbach at deep mid-wicket - a culpable homicide. The carnage continued in the 12th over as Vijay struck Aravind through the on-side for two huge sixes, just few balls after his partner, Hussey, survived a close run-out attempt. Bangalore's lack of intensity allowed the duo to scamper lots of twos and threes on both sides of the wicket. In the penultimate over, Aravind's ploy of bowling wide outside off worked as Vijay holed out to mid-off. Gayle pegged them back further with scalps of Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel in successive balls before Dwayne Bravo hit a last-ball six to take the total past 200.
Things went from bad to worse for RCB when R Ashwin extracted massive turn in just the second ball of their run-chase with a classic off-break. Two balls later, bowling from around the wicket, he skid one through quickly and induced a huge outside edge as Dhoni took a splendid catch. Ashwin set up the dismissal with two off-breaks followed by one that threatened to turn the other way. Gayle spotted the change of trajectory and committed himself to the cut.
In his next over, Ashwin bamboozled Mayank Agarwal with a carom ball before making Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers play and miss on several occasions. Ashwin returned in the 11th over to remove Vettori,u00a0 finishing with figures of 4-0-16-3.
