Ryder leads Pune to seven-wicket triumph
The Pune Warriors, led by a classy 73 not out from Kiwi Jesse Ryder, cruised to a seven-wicket triumph over the Chennai Super Kings in their IPL clash at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Saturday.
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Chasing 156 to win, the Warriors reached 156 for three with four balls to spare in their innings, as Australian Steven Smith spanked a 22-ball 44 not out, ending the match with a four and a six.
Earlier, the Chennai outfit made a rapid start after opting to bat, with Faf du Plessis and Murali Vijay speeding to 43.
But it was to be yet another failure for Vijay, who was caught on the square-leg fence for just 8. Du Plessis, who smashed five fours and two big sixes, was then beaten by Robin Uthappa's bounce to be well stumped for 43.
Suresh Raina, who again looked at ease, was plucked on the long-on fence for 20, as the Chennai outfit slumped to 86 for 3. Skipper MS Dhoni made a subdued 26 off 28 balls, and it was left to Ravi Jadeja (44 off 26 balls) to give the innings some momentum.
By the time the big-hitting duo of Albie Morkel and Dwayne Bravo arrived at the crease, there was precious little time for them to make an impact. Sharma, with 2 for 16, and Dinda's spell of 1 for 30 in four overs, stood out for the bowling side.
In pursuit of the target, Pune were indebted to the powerful Ryder. He was brutal on anything straight, working the ball through mid-wicket at will, as he smashed seven fours and a six. He was especially brutal on Morkel and Bravo.
But, he was involved in two run-outs, however, as Robin Uthappa was beaten by sharp work from Dwayne Bravo, and a dawdling Sauruv Ganguly was run out by Ravi Jadeja for 16.
Marlon Samuels struggled to 8 off 14 balls, before a wild slog to Yo Mahesh ended his unconvincing stay at the crease. That brought Smith to the middle, and he and Ryder combined for a rapid 66 in six and a half overs. Ryder's composed knock earned him the man of the match award, and also gave Pune a third win in their fourth IPL outing.
PUNE WARRIORS: JD Ryder, SC Ganguly (capt), RV Uthappa (wk), AD Mathews, MN Samuels, M Manhas, SPD Smith, R Sharma, M Kartik, AB Dinda, A Nehra
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: F du Plessis, M Vijay, SK Raina, S Badrinath, RA Jadeja, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), DJ Bravo, JA Morkel, KMDN Kulasekara, R Ashwin, VY Mahesh
