2010 IPL 3 Match 16: Chennai Succumb In Face Of Victory, KXIP Score Points In Super Over

The Chennai Super Kings will consider this outcome of this match as anti climatic. But the Kings XI Punjab win, as Preity Zinta herself put it, would be the sweetest yet because of the first points that the KXIP have scored in the IPL 3 after four matches and also, secured their first ever win against Chennai.
The Chennai Super Kings had this wrapped up. How then they lost this match is something they will need to get off rather quickly because one sensed a more rattled team once Matthew Hayden departed and there was no sign of Justin Kemp coming out to bat, sending panic amongst fans and dressing room and dug out alike.
Two things contributed to Chennai succumbing in the face of victory - their own nerves even in the face of a facile win and a certain bowler from South Africa named Juan “Rusty” Theron.
With Parthiv Patel and Matthew Hayden going great guns, all that the rest of the batting line up had to was bat to ball, no great stunts were required as from two down for ninety-six, needing 137 for a win, Chennai lost five wickets to let the KXIP walk into the match with a tie.
It is quite astonishing the degree of panic that prevailed in the team after Justin Kemp pulled up with a bad back just one delivery into his bowling stint and thereafter, dropping way down in the batting list. Without the experience of the hitter, the bowlers were thrust into a situation unfamiliar to them, when they thought they needed to hit out when all it needed was some sensible batting.
When one considers that the KXIP got away with only Irfan Pathan, opening the innings, with thirty-nine runs and Yuvraj Singh with forty-three runs, one has to think there was an exceptional bowler that helped this team get back into the match. And there was. Juan “Rusty” Theron flew in on a late flight from South Africa and quickly made inroads to stop Chennai dead in their tracks. Two key wickets and a run out ensured that none else but Theron would take the ball in the super over.
The super over eliminator saw Matthew Hayden partnered by Albie Morkel and while Hayden’s Mongoose bat failed to deliver, apart from Suresh Raina’s sixer, there was nothing else to help the hosts in Chennai.
Muttiah Muralitharan was the designated bowler for Chennai and even though he dismissed Mahela Jayawardene after the latter hit a six off the first ball in the chase for ten runs, Yuvraj Singh had to merely tickle the third ball for a match winning four.
While Kings XI Punjab pulled off the unimaginable, Chennai were left wondering what storm had hit the stadium when Parthiv was doing well on fifty-seven and Hayden on thirty-three.