Ashwin, Raina enable Chennai crush Kolkata by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Ground:	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Scorecard:	Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders
Player:	R Ashwin, AD Mathews, M Vijay, SK Raina
Event:	Indian Premier League 2009/10

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DateLine: 13th April 2010

 

Kolkata Knight Riders came up with yet another spineless performance and lost by nine wickets to Chennai Super Kings in the DLF IPL3 match at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Tuesday.

 

The comprehensive win pitchforked Chennai to second in the points table and are handsomely placed to move into the semifinals. Kolkata with this defeat are perilously close to being knocked out of the tournament for the third consecutive year.

 

R Ashwin turned out to be unlikely hero for Chennai Super Kings as the off-spinner grabbed three wickets including two in one over to push Kolkata to the brim. The match was lost in the powerplays when Kolkata lost its cream of batting for just 19 runs. Aswhin bowled Gayle had McCullum sweeping to be caught at short fine leg off the same over. Bollinger trapped Ganguly cheaply and then Hussey was stumped down the legside by Dhoni to leave Kolkata gasping at 19 for four. There was a resourceful 72 run fifth wicket stand between Angelo Mathews and Tiwary. Tiwary got out to a needless hoick off Raina. After that Shukla and Mathews added a few runs for the seventh wicket. But Mathews fell two short of his deserved fifty caught off a top-edge while trying to sweep Muttiah Muralitharan who had a rare off day. The great spinner leaked runs and eventually had to be satisfied with just one wicket while giving away 47 runs.

 

When Chris Gayle bowled Hayden for nought, it appeared the match would go down to the wire. But Raina and Vijay quickly dispelled the notion. Raina got into his groove quickly. The erring Dinda was punished for three boundaries in his opening over. Chris Gayle gave away five wides and was tonked for a boundary in the third over as Chennai raced away to the target. Gayle’s third over went for 15 runs as Raina creame him for three boundaries. By the end of the powerplay Chennai was in command scoring 67 runs. It was all over bar the shouting when Murali Vijay who watched the carnage from the other end joined the party. The right hander tonked Hussey for a six and two boundaries in the 11th over to biff 18 runs from that over. Chennai completed the formalities in the 14th when fittingly Raina lifted Abdulla for a six.