Credit: BCCI/IPL
The previous two-time champions Chennai Super Kings registered a convincing win over Mumbai Indians in the eliminator of IPL 2012. Skipper MS Dhoni scored a match-winning fifty as CSK defeated MI by 38 runs at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on May 23, 2012. With this, CSK were set to play in the second qualifier and were heading towards their third consecutive IPL final.
Talking about the match, batting first CSK posted a total of 187 runs for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs. After CSK lost two wickets for just one run, Michael Hussey and S Badrinath put up a partnership of 93 runs for the third wicket. Hussey scored 49(39) runs hitting eight fours and a six while Badrinath got out after scoring 47 runs off 39 balls with six four and a six. After that skipper MS Dhoni took charge of the innings.
MS Dhoni’s fiery fifty guided CSK to convincing win over MI
Coming to bat at number five, MS Dhoni remained unbeaten till the end and completed his half-century in just 20 balls. He also put up an unbeaten partnership of 73 runs with Dwayne Bravo as CSK crossed the 180-run mark. Dhoni completed his half-century on the last ball remaining unbeaten on 51*(20) runs hitting six four and two sixes, while Bravo scored 33*(14) runs with three fours and two sixes. For MI, Dhawal Kulkarni took three wickets while Kieron Pollard and James Franklin scalped a wicket each.
Chasing the winning target, MI kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could only post 149/9 in their 20 overs. Dwayne Smith was top scorer with 38(22) runs. Apart from that, none of the other batters could even get 20 runs. For CSK, Albie Morkel and Dwayne Bravo took two wickets each while, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ben Hilfenhaus and Shadab Jakati scalped scalped a wicket each.
