IPL Match 31: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab

Balaji's hat-trick won the match for

Having let Chennai amass the IPL's highest total in their first fixture, Mohali didn't do their chances of making it six wins in a row any good, as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side piled up an impressive 181-4 at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Saturday. However, Mohali staged a remarkable recovery as they conceded just 37 from their last five overs.

Powered by Suresh Raina's (26) early fireworks and some lusty hitting led by Dhoni (60 not out) himmself, Chennai have forced Mohali on the backfoot once again. But it was an imacculate 47-ball 64 from Subramaniam Badrinath that got them out of jail early on.

That Sreesanth remains an enigma in cricketing circles was vindicated during this game. The India speedster was innocuous in his first over, starting off with a couple of wides before Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut blasted him through the covers twice. But as has so often been the case, the bowler returned to get rid of the opener with a peach.

His second over was equally dramatic, with the bowler getting smashed on his toe by a firm shot from Suresh Raina on his follow-through. Limping by now, Sreesanth then bowled a wide that should have been penalised for two runs instead of one, but removed Stephen Fleming in the same over as Chennai lost both their openers who provided them a rollicking start to their run chase in Delhi two days back.

Suresh Raina and Badrinath, batting at No. 4 for the first time in the competition, stepped it up with remarkable urgency, pushing for the twos and picking the gaps in between, before Dhoni and Badrinath's 91-run stand lifted them to a commanding position.

Dhoni’s susceptibility to spin bowling has been picked up by sides in the competition, as Shane Warne and Pragyan Ojha’s success against him show. But the Indian One-day captain didn’t let Piyush Chawla settle down, repeatedly stepping out and launching him into the stands.

Dhoni's brutal knock notwithstanding, Subramaniam Badrinath reaching his first half-century provided for one of the most endearing images of the IPL. The batsman has never played for India, but the capacity MA Chidambaram stadium crowd, where Badrinath plays his first-class games, gave him a rapturous applause for a phenominally mature innings.

Earlier, Mohali captain Yuvraj Singh banked on his side's chasing abilities as he elected to bowl following his side's successes.

However, they were without Kumar Sangakkara who picked up an injury, while Karan Goel replaced Gagandeep Singh in the eleven. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Chennai captain, retained the same eleven that pulled off a remarkable win in Delhi on Thursday.

Chennai and Mohali clashed in the second game of the IPL where a hundred from Mike Hussey, who has returned to the Australian squad, was instrumental in Mohali's defeat.

Teams:

Chennai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), S Vidyut, Stephen Fleming, Suresh Rania, Albie Morkel, Chamara Kapugedera, S Badrinath, Manpreet Gony, Palani Amarnath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Mohali: Yuvraj Singh (captain), Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Karan Goel, Mahela Jayawardene, Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Uday Kaul, Sreesanth, VRV Singh.