Batsmen help Chennai overcome Punjab in IPL

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Chennai Super Kings beat the Kings XI Punjab by 12 runs on the Duckworth Lewis method in a rain-affected match on Thursday in the Indian Premier League.

Matthew Hayden hit 89 and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni added 56 not out, sharing an explosive 100-run stand for the third wicket to steer Chennai to 185-3 after the match was reduced to 18 overs a-side.

Hayden blasted eight boundaries and six sixes in 58 balls, while Dhoni faced 27 balls, hitting seven boundaries and two sixes.

In reply, Punjab were restricted to 174-3 in their allotted 18 overs despite an unbeaten 90-run third wicket partnership between Yuvraj Singh (58 not out) and Mahela Jayawardena (44 not out) and another half-century by Simon Katich.

Singh, who was dropped in his 20s by Manpreet Gony on the boundary, hit five boundaries and two sixes in 36 balls while Jayawardena faced 25 balls and hit three boundaries and two sixes.

Punjab's chase suffered a setback when they lost opener Sunny Sohal in the second ball of their innings, clean-bowled by a full-length Morne Morkel delivery.

They went two wickets down for 53 runs in the seventh over when Karan Goel swung to Gony at long on to be caught on the second attempt, off left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati.

Katich, who scored his 50 runs in 25 balls with three boundaries and four sixes, perished in the 10th over, finding Jakati on the boundary off an astray Lakshmipathy Balaji delivery.

Hayden, the tournament's leading run-scorer, said his form in the IPL was largely due to his enjoyment of the shortest form of the game.

"In this form the level of risk is high, so there is no option but to attack the bowling," Hayden said. "On some days it comes off and on some it does not. Today it did. Look, it's a form of the game I've done well at. I had a good tournament in the Twenty20 World Cup here in South Africa and I've been pretty successful as well in the other Twenty20 competitions. I have enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it."

Punjab batsman Kumar Sangakkara blamed his team's bowling in the last overs for the loss.

"We started pretty well but our death bowling has made it tough for us in the last games," he said. "It's a harsh reality that we lost. They played well. We also played well, certainly when we were chasing. It's a game both sides can walk away with a few positives and areas to work on."