 Chennai Super Kings fail to seal semi-final berth
24th May 2008 23:01 IST
Agencies
Albie Morkel (71) and Parthiv Patel's (54) half centuries went waste as Chennai Super Kings lost the plot towards the close to suffer a 10-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in their crucial Indian Premier League match in Chennai today.
After Graeme Smith (91) and Kamran Akmal (53) had led the Royals to a huge total of 211/5, the Super Kings replied by the taking the visiting bowlers by the scruff of their neck with one down Suresh Raina (45, 24 balls, 6X4, 2X6) doing most of the scoring.
Super Kings were cruising at 157/3 at the end of 15 overs but failed to get 55 from the last five overs with seven wickets in hand to make their semi-final hopes uncertain.
With 14 points from 13 matches, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni side will have to win their last match against Deccan Chargers on May 27 in Hyderabad to make the grade.
The home team's run chase began shakily with opener Stephen Fleming out cheaply for seven in the second over but his partner Parthiv and Raina kept on taking risks to get the big runs.
The duo shared a quickfire stand of 70 runs off 41 balls for the second wicket to keep them in the hunt before Morkel woke up from the initial slumber to join the party.
Raina plundered 15 runs out of 19 in the third over off Munaf Patel and then sent Sohail Tanvir scurrying for cover by taking 14 runs in the fifth over.
With Raina going after the bowlers, Parthiv played second fiddle to great effect and rotated strikes to give more strike to his partner before Shane Warne broke the ice in his second over and ninth of the home team innings.
Warne kept Raina to play forward and the young batsman misread the turn and lobbed to deep mid-wicket where Mohammad Kaif made no mistake in taking a clean catch.
Parthiv survived for another six overs and accumulated runs to share a 73-run stand for the third wicket along with Morkel who opened up later in his innings, belting Yusuf Pathan for 15 runs in his third over.
With the team at 157/3 at the end of 15 overs and still requiring 55 runs of last five overs, the hosts were in for a chance to tame the Royals. They needed 47 runs from four overs and Dhoni hit two fours off Patel to inch closer to the target only to fall in the 18th over for 12 (8 balls, 2X4), caught by Kaif at mid-off of a slower delivery from Tanvir.
In the last over, Chennai, needing 15 runs for a win, could not repeat their similar feat in New Delhi against Delhi Daredevils with Morkel out in the penultimate ball of the innings after making 71 (40 balls, 6X4 and 4X6) and Abhinav Mukund run out on the last ball.
Tanvir was the wrecker-in-chief with figures of 4-0-33-3 while Warne claimed two wickets for 35. Losing side player Morkel was, however, adjudged man of the match for his 71 and 2/35.
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