May 12, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 6, 1429

CHENNAI, May 11: India’s forgotten paceman Lakshmipathy Balaji claimed the Indian Premier League’s first hat-trick as Chennai Super Kings secured an 18-run victory over Kings XI Punjab at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday night.

Powered by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s blitzkrieg 60 not out and a stylish 64 from Subramaniam Badrinath, Chennai piled up an impressive 181-4 before Balaji got into the act with figures of 5-24, including the first ever hat-trick of the Indian Premier League.

Chennai’s bowlers did well to pick up three wickets despite the batsmen getting off to a flier.

Opener Shaun Marsh stroked a fluent half-century to continue with his stunning run of form in the tournament but got little assistance from the rest of the Kings XI batsmen before Irfan Pathan’s valiant 40 from just 18 balls got his side within striking distance.

But the day belonged to two home boys — Badrinath and Balaji. Badrinath’s maturity with the bat brought as much to cheer about for the crowd as did Balaji’s superb effort.

Marsh and Ramnaresh Sarwan’s partnership in the middle overs threatened to take the game away from Chennai, but Balaji’s second over of the night fetched him the wickets of the set batsmen, sparking a middle order collapse that saw Yuvraj Singh and Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene depart cheaply.

The Kings XI batsmen struggled to get the big shots in until Irfan Pathan clubbed three sixes and three boundaries with Piyush Chawla giving him company at the other end for a 48-run seventh-wicket stand.

Balaji was handed the final over in which Kings XI needed an improbable 27. After getting thumped for a six off the first ball, Balaji adjusted beautifully with the wickets of Pathan, Chawla and V.R.V. Singh, completing his fairytale comeback after spending two years in the wilderness because of a nagging back injury.

Chennai, having been put in to bat, didn’t get the start they expected through Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan and Stephen Fleming, but were lifted by some inspiring middle order batting. While one murdered the bowling attack, the other showed just how much value the book of cricket still holds.

Sreesanth was innocuous in his first over, starting off with a couple of wides before Sivaramakrishnan blasted him through the covers twice. But he 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.

Suresh Raina and Badrinath 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.

Summarised scores:

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS 181-4 in 20 overs (Subramaniam Badrinath 64, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 60 not out, Suresh Raina 26; Shanthakumaran Sreesanth 2-29); KINGS XI PUNJAB 163-9 in 20 overs (Shaun Marsh 58, Irfan Pathan 40, Ramnaresh Sarwan 20; Lakshmipathy Balaji 5-24).—Agencies