WRIDDHIMAN Saha hit an unbeaten 33-ball 46 to set up a 11-run win for champions Chennai Super Kings against Kochi Tuskers Kerala that took them to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) table yesterday.
Saha, who was picked as the second wicketkeeper in India’s ODI team for the tour of West Indies, hit three sixes and one boundary to anchor Chennai to 152 for five wickets after they opted to bat first.
Kochi wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel, named captain after Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene left to join the squad in England, missed three stumping chances and dropped a catch as the Chennai batsmen struggled for momentum on a slow wicket at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Chennai, led by India’s World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, stifled the Kochi batsmen during the chase with their spin-dominated bowling attack and restricted the IPL debutants to 141 for five.
Australian Brad Hodge hit a 42-ball 51 in a late surge after a slow start but the required run rate was well beyond Kochi's reach.
Kochi finished the tournament with their eighth loss from 14 matches while Chennai picked up their ninth win with one match to play in the group stages.
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