DOUG Bollinger starred with 4-13 as Chennai Super Kings knocked out Deccan Chargers in the second semi-final of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chennai secured a 38-run victory over the defending champion to progress to Sunday’s final against Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
(Scores: Chennai Super Kings 142 for 7 (Badrinath 37, Harris 3-29) beat Deccan Chargers 104 (Symonds 23, Bollinger 4-13) by 38 runs)
Victory had looked unlikely for the Super Kings as they suffered a horror start, but a half-century stand between Subramaniam Badrinath (37) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (30) and a cameo from Srikkanth Anirudha (24) helped them to a modest 7-142.
Fast bowler Bollinger then turned in an outstanding performance and was nicely supported by spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shadab Jakati as the Chargers were bowled out for a paltry 104 in 19.2 overs.
The Super Kings had opted to bat first but Ryan Harris, who shared the new ball with Andrew Symonds, destroyed their top order with an excellent spell at the start and exposed their shallow batting resources.
The Chargers were initially shabby in the field and Matthew Hayden was dropped twice before Symonds grasped a good catch to send the opener back in Harris’ first over.
Harris then trapped Murali Vijay in front in his next over and Symonds had Suresh Raina – also reprieved before he could get off the mark – caught behind to leave the Super Kings reeling at 3-29.
Dhoni and Badrinath steadied the innings with a 52-run stand, but it was hard work with many of those runs accumulated in ones and twos.
Dhoni then fell attempting to slash a delivery from Harmeet Singh but only found Rohit Sharma at slip, and when Albie Morkel departed at the end of the 15th over, the Super Kings were left with only one recognised batsman in Badrinath at the crease.
He forged on until the start of the 18th over when he was run-out by Adam Gilchrist, but Anirudha smashed two fours and two sixes at the end to give the total a decent look.
The Super Kings, however, were terrific with the ball and excellent in the field and soon had the Chargers under pressure.
Off-spinner Ashwin conceded just one with the new ball and when Bollinger began with a maiden the Chargers were beginning to feel the heat.
Bollinger then inflicted a double blow by removing both Gilchrist and his replacement Tirumalasetti Suman in his third over, Morkel caused more damage by removing Rohit in his first over and left-arm spinner Jakati crippled the Chargers by snaring Herschelle Gibbs and Monish Mishra in successive overs.
By then, the required run rate – just over seven at the start of the chase – had ballooned to 10 per over at the halfway stage.
Symonds (23) had held out hope with a patient innings, but when he holed out to Vijay at deep midwicket in the 16th over the Chargers were out of the reckoning.