Balaji claimed first IPL hat-trick

In Chennai Super Kings 18-run win over Kings XI Punjab on Saturday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium the highlight of the match remains the first hat-trick of the DLF Indian Premier League claimed by Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Balaji, who just came back to full-fledged cricket circuit after a long gap due to injury, claimed five wickets in his 4-over spell giving away only 24 runs. He dismissed Pathan, Chawla and V.R.V. Singh for his hat-trick in the final over.

His first one came when he dismissed Ramnaresh Sarwan, uprooting the middle-stump and then the in-form batsman Shaun Marsh in an attempt bouncer, which Marsh could not hold while trying to pull and caught in the deep square leg.

Looking at the match as a whole, Chennai bowlers did a wonderful job by taking wickets at regular interval which later puts additional pressure on Kings XI batsmen. With run rate towering and the loss of wicket of skipper Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene cheaply it was difficult for Punjab batsmen to recover.

A quickfire by Irfan Pathan whose 40 came from just 18 ball raise some hope but that too approach the dead-end as he fell to Balaji further increasing the asking rate, which was too much for Punjab’s reach.

Though replaying Chennai’s 181, Punjab started off well with Marsh’s half century (58) but their collapse of middle order resulted in their defeat by 18 runs.

Earlier batting first though Chennai Super Kings lost two early wickets but a fourth-wicket partnership of 91 between Subramaniam Badrinath (64) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (60 not out) helped Chennai putting a total of 181 from 20 overs.

The win placed Chennai in the second position of the IPL points table with six wins out of nine matches they played so far and Punjab on third with 10 points winning five from 8 they played thus far.

The Rajasthan Royals still leading the tally with 12 points from six wins out of eight they played.

Teams

Chennai Super Kings: Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Stephen Fleming, MS Dhoni (C) (W), Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel, Chamara Kapugedera, Subramaniam Badrinath, Manpreet Gony, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Palani Amarnath, Muttiah Muralidaran.

Kings XI Punjab: Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Yuvraj Singh (C), Mahela Jayawardena, Karan Goel, Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Uday Kaul (W), Sreesanth, VRV Singh.

Upcoming Matches (May 11, 2008)

Rajasthan Royals vs. Delhi Daredevils Time: 20:00 (IST) Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Chogan Stadium), Jaipur

This match is more crucial for Delhi Daredevils as they had lost their last one from Chennai Super Kings and a win is must for being on the top four. On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals in front of the home crowd would not like to loss their winning momentum as they currently lead the table.

Deccan Chargers vs. Kolkata Knight Riders Time: 16:00 (IST) Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Though this match doesn’t hold much of importance for Hyderabad Deccan Chargers with only two wins out of eight matches they played, a win for Deccan means more trouble for Kolkata Knight Riders, who has to fight hard for semi-finals berth.