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Super Kings charge into final

New Delhi - A game-changing spell of left-arm spin by Ravindra Jadeja proved decisive as the Chennai Super Kings charged into the Pepsi Indian Premier League final with a comprehensive 48-run victory over Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi on Tuesday.

The India all-rounder claimed three for 31 in four tidy overs of a match that appeared to be headed one way nearly three-quarters of a way in – towards the direction of Mumbai thanks to a superlative 68 off 28 deliveries by Dwayne Smith.

The West Indian was leading the charge for his side in pursuit of a 193 victory target until he fell to Jadeja, who also accounted for the key wickets of Dinesh Karthik (11) and Kieron Pollard (24).

Another player from the Caribbean, Dwayne Bravo, played his role too, by bagging three for nine in three overs.

Earlier, magnificent unbeaten 80s by Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina powered CSK to a prolific total.

The two shared an unbroken 140-run partnership from 76 balls, with Australian Hussey clubbing two sixes and 10 fours on his way to 86 off 58 deliveries, while Raina crunched an even more impressive 82 off 42, which included five sixes and five fours.

Hussey, who took hold of the orange cap as the leading run-scorer in the competition during his knock, and Murali Vijay provided Chennai the perfect start after they won the toss and elected to bat first, putting on 52 for the first wicket.

The loss of the latter for 23 was the only wicket to fall, with Raina and his veteran Aussie team-mate then putting on a magical display with the bat.

The first six of the game arrived at the end of the 11th over when Pragyan Ojha was deposited over mid-wicket for a powerful six by Raina, before Harbhajan Singh was crunched over extra-cover for another maximum by the same batsman.

At the other end, Hussey moved past his sixth half century of the season in 40 deliveries, before surpassing Chris Gayle’s leading run-scoring mark of 708 as the 100 was raised in the 13th over.

Raina’s 50 came in style from 29 balls with yet another six, before 19 was taken from the most expensive final over that was bowled by the usually miserly Lasith Malinga – Hussey ending the innings with an aggregate of 732 runs.

Aditya Tare (seven) fell in just the second over of the chase when he struck Albie Morkel straight to Murali Vijay at mid-on.

But Smith, who struck five sixes and six fours, put Chennai to the sword during his stay.

The powerful West Indian smashed Mohit Sharma for successive sixes at the start of the fifth over, whilst also crunching Morkel for three fours in four balls early in the next as the 50 came up swiftly.

Chris Morris was greeted by two more maximums in his first over as the game threatened to run away from CSK – Smith racing to the third quickest of the season 50 in 21 balls.

But the introduction of Jadeja theatrically put the brakes on. The slow left-armer accounted for Smith, miscuing to Raina at mid-off, before the same bowler trapped Karthik (11) leg before wicket.

It was 95 for three at that stage, and after the 100 was raised in the 12th over, Morris dealt Mumbai another crucial blow when he accounted for skipper Rohit Sharma (eight), caught by Dwayne Bravo at long-off.

And by the time Pollard fell to Jadeja at the end of the 15th over, the asking rate had ballooned over 13 and the writing was on the wall with Mumbai all out for 144 in 18.4 overs.

They still have one more shot of making the final on Friday, when the play the winner of the ‘Eliminator’ game between third-placed Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad taking place on Wednesday.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings: MEK Hussey, M Vijay, SK Raina, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), RA Jadeja, S Badrinath, DJ Bravo, JA Morkel, CH Morris, R Ashwin, MM Sharma

Mumbai Indians: AP Tare, DR Smith, KD Karthik (wk), RG Sharma (capt), KA Pollard, AT Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, MG Johnson, SL Malinga, PP Ojha, MM Patel

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