Duncan Fletcher named India coach

The former England coach and Zimbabwe captain, has been appointed India's coach, ending weeks of speculation over who will succeed Gary Kirsten. The BCCI announced the decision to give Fletcher a two-year contract after a Working Committee meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. Eric Simons' tenure as the team's bowling coach was also extended.

Fletcher, though, is unlikely to join India for the tour of the West Indies in June. "The contract with Fletcher is for two years," N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, said. "He may not join the team in West Indies as he has some prior commitments.

"After a lot of thought and consultation, the BCCI president and BCCI secretary placed Fletcher's name before the Working Committee, which the Committee ratified," Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said, adding that the terms and conditions of Fletcher's appointment would be the same as that of Kirsten's.

It has been reliably learnt that Kirsten played an important hand in recommending Fletcher for the job. Also the board consulted some of the senior India players, including captain MS Dhoni, before finalising Fletcher's appointment.

Fletcher, 62, was in charge of England when theybeat Australia in 2005 to regain the Ashes for the first time since 1986-87, and was credited with turning around England's fortunes in Tests during his eight-year stint, first with Nasser Hussain and then with Michael Vaughan.

He was England's first foreign coach and took over in 1999. He oversaw Test series wins in Sri Lanka andPakistan, though Australia thrashed England 4-1 in the Ashes in 2001. Later, with Vaughan, he helped England win their first Test series in South Africa post apartheid and the pair played a critical role in moulding a team that was to win the Ashes in 2005.

England won 42 and lost 30 Tests with Fletcher in charge but their ODI form wasn't as good - winning 75 and losing 82. His tenure reached its lowest ebb during a 0-5 Ashes drubbing in Australia in 2006-07 and a disappointing World Cup campaign, after which he stepped down. One of Fletcher's problems during his England reign was a tetchy relationship with the media, something which Vaughan felt could be a hindrance in his India job as well. "Duncan will work well with all the talent," Vaughan said on Twitter. "His biggest challenge will come from the media ... he has never really understood how it works."

After giving up the England job, Fletcher took up several short-term international assignments. He joined South Africa as a batting consultant in 2008, a role he returned to for the 2011 World Cup, and was in a similar position with New Zealand on their tour of India last year.

England were officially ranked the worst Test team when he took over as their coach, and he will now take charge of a team that won the World Cup earlier this month and is currently top of the Test rankings.

One of the first coaching jobs Fletcher took up was at the University of Cape Town, where Kirsten was part of the team. The pair once again were together at Western Province.

In 1994, Fletcher applied for his first high-profile job - the head coach of South Africa. He was one of the three candidates interviewed. His competitors were Eddie Barlow and Bob Woolmer. Eventually the three-man panel comprising Peter Pollock, Raymond White and Ali Bacher agreed on Woolmer, who stayed in the job till 1999. Fletcher, meanwhile, operated as South Africa A coach for a while before taking up the England assignment.

According to Bacher, Fletcher's style of coaching draws a lot from his playing days."Hardworking, disciplined, very professionally driven and played to his utmost potential even if he was not blessed with extraordinary talent," Bacher said. "He brings the same characteristics to his coaching."

Fletcher has also been known to work on an individual basis with Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.

Bollinger, Badrinath fashion Chennai's win

Australian pace bowler Doug Bollinger bagged 3-21 and Subramaniam Badrinath slammed an unbeaten 63 as defending champion Chennai Super Kings defeated Pune Warriors by eight wickets in the IPL on Wednesday.
Bollinger came up with timely strikes to restrict Pune to 6-141 after the home side elected to bat.
He removed openers Jesse Ryder (19) and Mohnish Mishra in the fourth over before returning to dismiss compatriot Mitchell Marsh in his second spell.
Badrinath then produced a neat 44-ball knock as Chennai scored 2-145 with three balls left.
For the losing team, captain Yuvraj Singh was the highest scorer with 62 not out.
Chennai improves to a provisional second in the 10-team standings after the return match, having prevailed over Pune by 25 runs on Monday.
New franchise Pune remains eighth having played one game less.
In the late game India pace bowler Ishant Sharma produced a fiery opening spell to take 5-12 and help Deccan Chargers beat Kochi Tuskers by 55 runs.
Skipper Kumar Sangakkara top-scored with a 47-ball 65 to take Deccan Chargers to 7-129 from a precarious 3-20 but the game belonged to Sharma who proved to be virtually unplayable at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
The lanky paceman removed Parthiv Patel, Raiphi Gomez and Australian Brad Hodge off the second, third and fifth balls of his first over before grabbing two more wickets for third-best IPL bowling figures ever.
His pace partner Dale Steyn took 3-16 as Kochi were bowled out for 74 off 16.3 overs.

Kohli fashions third win for Bangalore with a fifty

NEW DELHI, - Virat Kohli hit a stroke-filled 56 to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to a three-wicket victory against Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday.

The right-hander hit eight boundaries and two sixes in his 38-ball knock as the Bangalore side reached their 161-run target with three balls to spare.

Kohli, who hails from Delhi, added 82 for the second wicket with Chris Gayle (26 off 14) in just 43 balls, after they lost newly appointed Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan for a duck in the second ball of the innings.

Morne Morkel (3-25) picked up two wickets in the 17th over to make things interesting during the chase but the quick start allowed Bangalore's lower order batsmen to knock off the runs without much trouble.

Australian all-rounder James Hopes (54 off 43) anchored the Delhi outfit, who lost their fourth in six matches in the IPL, to take them to a challenging 160 for six after put in to bat first by Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori.

With Tuesday's loss, the Virender Sehwag-led team dropped to ninth in the 10-team league while Bangalore leapfrogged to second spot with their third win from seven matches.

Shehzad century steers Pakistan to win

Opener Ahmed Shehzad struck his second one-day international hundred to anchor Pakistan to a confident seven-wicket victory over West Indies on Monday.
Shehzad hit seven fours and one six in his 102 from 148 balls as Pakistan successfully chased 221 for victory in the second ODI at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.
Umar Akmal carried the visitors over the threshold with 12 balls remaining when he lofted a delivery from Dwayne Bravo to long-off for the final boundary of the match.
The result means that Pakistan take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after winning the first game by eight wickets on Saturday at the same ground.
Pakistan have now won their last seven one day matches against West Indies, a sequence spread over the last four years.
"Shehzad is a very talented guy and he showed that he is capable of performing," said Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.
"I think our bowlers are doing a great job, and the fielding has improved because it is a very important area for us.
"Our batting has shown responsibility and we hope to maintain this discipline right throughout the series."
The visitors' spin bowling trio of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Afridi had dominated on another docile pitch.
After Pakistan chose to field, West Indies were dismissed for 220 in their 50 overs - one less than the total they made in the first ODI.
Ajmal, Hafeez and Afridi shared six wickets for 102 runs in 30 overs between them, and only West Indies opener Lendl Simmons looked close to getting on top of them, leading the way with 51 from 48 balls, which included four fours and two sixes.
The third and fourth matches of the series will be played on Thursday and Monday at Kensington Oval in Barbados, with the final game coming three days later at the Guyana National Stadium.

Mike Hussey fifty earns Chennai 25-run win against Pune

CHENNAI, Mike Hussey's half-century and three wickets from Albie Morkel earned champions Chennai Super Kings a 25-run victory against Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday.
Australian Hussey anchored the Chennai innings with a 48-ball 61 to take them to a challenging 142 for six after the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team was put in to bat first by Yuvraj Singh.
The left-handed Hussey, put down by Yuvraj on 28, added 64 for the opening wicket with Murali Vijay (31) with half a dozen boundaries and a six.
West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor picked up three wickets for 30 runs for the Pune outfit, who lost their third in five matches in their debut season of the IPL.
The Pune side lost four wickets for 40 inside the first six overs and never recovered from the poor start, struggling for momentum throughout their innings.
Morkel picked up two wickets in his opening spell and came back to dismiss the dangerous Yuvraj (34) to snuff out the hopes of a win for Pune, who managed just 117 for nine.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (2-19) and Australian paceman Doug Bollinger (2-20) picked up two wickets apiece as Chennai jumped to the fourth spot in the table with the win.

IPL: Mumbai beat Chennai by 8 runs

Mumbai: Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh led a clinical bowling show with a five-wicket haul after Rohit Sharma's batting heroics as Mumbai Indians scored a thrilling eight-run victory over defending champions Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League clash in Mumbai on Friday.

Mumbai posted a challenging 164 for four after being put into bat, thanks to a 48-ball 87 by Rohit and then Harbhajan (5/18) produced this IPL season's second five-wicket haul to give the home side their fourth win in five games. Harbhajan's MI team-mate Lasith Malinga was the first to take five wickets this season with five for 13 against Delhi Daredevils on April 10.

The home side also produced a superb fielding show with the match turning their way with Kieron Pollard taking a stunning forward diving catch to remove Michael Hussey in the fifth over. With this win at the Wankhede Stadium, MI surged to sole top slot with eight points.

Chasing a challenging total of 165, CSK lost wickets at regular intervals, including three in the 18th over from man of the match Harbhajan to be left stranded at 156 for nine. Subramaniam Badrinath made a fighting, unbeaten 71 from 48 balls while Hussey scored 41 in 33 balls for a losing cause while the rest of the batsmen caved in meekly.

Leg-spinner Bishoo seals win for Windies

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo captured four wickets while Lendl Simmons composed a fluent 65 as West Indies beat Pakistan by seven runs in their inaugural Twenty20 international on Thursday.
Umar Akmal led the way with 41, Asad Shafiq made 25, and Saeed Ajmal scored 21 not out as the Pakistanis were restricted to 9-143 in their 20 overs, chasing 151 for victory at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.
"I think the pitch was good for batsmen, and I don't know why we missed this opportunity to win this match," said Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.
"We are not building any partnerships. This is what has been missing for us for a few months. Bishoo bowled really well, and all of their bowlers delivered in the right areas."
The visitors' batting was undermined chiefly by leg-spinner Bishoo, whose four wickets for 17 runs from his allotted four overs earned him the man-of-the-match award, and Ravi Rampaul supported with three for 31 from four overs.
"The jump from domestic cricket to international cricket is a big difference," said Bishoo.
"You have to be far more containing because the batsmen take good balls and turn them into bad balls. The pitch was a good pitch and I felt it would slide onto the bat."
Pakistan bowlers' looked short of work as opener Simmons struck seven fours and two sixes in the top score of 65 from 44 deliveries as West Indies built a total of 7-150 from their 20 overs.
Abdur Rehman gave Pakistan an early breakthrough, when he trapped Andre Fletcher lbw for one, but Simmons and Darren Bravo added 99 for the second wicket to put West Indies back on track for a decent total.
Rehman made the breakthrough again when he had Bravo caught at long-on for 42, and West Indies wobbled the rest of the way, with no other batsman passing 20.
Rehman, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal collected two wickets apiece for Pakistan.
Pakistan made a shaky start to their chase and soon slid to 4-49 in the seventh over when Bishoo tightened the screws, having Asad Shafiq caught at short mid-on with his fourth delivery, and next ball, had Misbah-ul-Haq hit wicket for a first-ball duck.
Akmal tried to keep the momentum going in the middle of the innings, but Bishoo had Afridi caught at extra cover for 12 to effectively dent Pakistan's hopes.
The two sides contest the first one-day international in a series of five, starting on Saturday at the same venue.

Punjab register 48-run win against Royals

Mohali: Shaun Marsh hit a quick-fire 71 and Paul Valthaty smashed 46 runs as Kings XI Punjab spanked Rajasthan Royal by 48 runs to score their third consecutive win in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

Punjab top-order yet again put up a dominating show and helped the side post an imposing 195 for seven, highest total so far in the fourth edition, after being invited to bat.

Apart from Marsh and Valthaty, skipper Adam Gilchrist (28) and Dinesh Karthik (21) did well for the Punjab on the batting-friendly PCA track.

The hosts then restricted Rajasthan to 147 for seven and jumped to third place in the points table with six points from three wins in four matches.

Punjab had beaten defending champions Chennai Super Kings and 2009 champions Deccan Chargers in their early outings.

Rajasthan, the 2008 champions, suffered third consecutive defeat and slipped to fifth spot with five points.

The visitors had done well by conceding just 26 runs in the last five overs of the Punjab innings but the total still proved way out of their reach as their batsmen let them down yet again.

A good start was imperative to stand any chance in the contest but the Rajasthan openers -- Rahul Dravid (8) and Swapnil Asnodkar (9) -- failed to do the job.

Big guns such as Shane Watson (24) and Ross Taylor (0) also failed to fire and credit goes to some very disciplined bowling by Punjab bowlers.

Paceman Praveen Kumar (2/22) was very impressive in his opening spell as he bowled Asnodkar early in the innings and saw the back of the dangerous Watson in his last over.

Spinner Piyush Chawla trapped big hitter Taylor for a duck and by the eighth over Rajasthan were out of the contest.

Stuart Binny (30) and Ashok Menaria (34) later hit some lusty shots but their knocks only reduced the defeat margin.

Earlier, Marsh anchored the Punjab innings after the openers -- Gilchrist (28 off 16) and Valthaty (46 off 31) -- provided a flying start by plundering 67 runs in 4.2 overs.

Marsh was supported well by Karthik as the two raised 70 runs for the third wicket but the Australian left-hander could not provide the finishing touches as the hosts fell short of the 200-run mark.

Marsh's 42-ball innings was adorned with six fours and three sixes -- all coming in a single over off Shane Warne.

The hosts were cruising towards a 200-plus score at one stage as they were 169 for two in 15 overs but Rajasthan bowlers made a good comeback in the last five overs as they gave away just 26 runs and took five wickets.

Australian pace duo of Shuan Tait (3/23) and Shane Watson (2/24) shared five wickets between them and bowled four of the last five overs.

At the start, both Gilchrst and Valthaty were out off no balls in the first and second over respectively and Rajasthan paid a very heavy price for the two mistakes as the hosts went on to rattle up the fastest team-fifty and team-hundred.

In three overs, Punjab had 52 runs on the board with Gilchrist and Valtahty hammering Siddharth Trivedi and Tait all around the park.

Punjab skipper was the first to get reprieve as he was bowled off a no ball in the first over off Trivedi, who over-stepped. Then in the second over Tait had Valthaty caught at third slip but on a back foot no-ball.

That proved very costly as Valthaty smashed Trivedi for three fours and two sixes in the next over.

A bamboozled Shane Warne introduced himself in the attack but Gilchrist hardly gave any respect to his former Australian teammate as he smashed the leg-spinner for a six over mid-wicket and scored a four in the next ball.

Shane Watson finally provided the visitors a breakthrough by dismissing Gilchrist but Marsh and Valthaty continued to punish the rival bowlers as Punjab raised the fastest team-hundred -- in just 9.2 overs.

The hundred came with Valthaty lofting Warne for a huge six on a short ball but the leg-spinner retaliated by having the danger-man caught at long-off on a miscued shot.

Marsh too was in awesome touch and hit some classy boundaries and one such shot was a cover-drive off spinner Abhishek Raut. Marsh then hit Warne for three sixes in the 14th over and raised his fifty in the process.

Karthik added salt to the woes of Rajasthan by hitting three consecutive boundaries off Trivedi in the next over.

However, three quick wickets stopped the rot as Shaun Tait dismissed Karthik, Abhishek Nayar (1) was run out and Marsh got out while attempting another big shot.

Resilient Deccan overcome Devil's challenge

New Delhi: A quickfire half-century by Sunny Sohal and an equally useful knock of 49 from captain Kumar Sangakkara helped Deccan Chargers register a 16-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

Opting to bat, Sohal (62, 41b, 8X4, 1X6) and Sangakkara (49, 35b, 8X4, 1X6) put on a 92-run stand for the second wicket to set a solid platform and post a competitive total of 168 for four, even though some disciplined bowling by the Daredevils at the end managed to put brakes on the Deccan scoring rate.

But ultimately the total proved to be too big for the hosts, who seemed hardly in the race, losing wickets at regular intervals here at the Ferozshah Kotla ground.

Even as David Warner (51, 48b 5x4 1x6) scored a valuable half-century and Yogesh Nagar (23, 11b 1x4 2x6) played a little cameo at the end but that was never going to be enough as the home team finished at 152 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.

For the Hyderabad outfit, Harmeet Singh (two for 27) and Daniel Christian (two for 38) provided important breakthroughs while Ojha, Amit Mishra and Shikhar Dhwan chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Chasing a target of 169, Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag came out firing all cylinders in his bid to give his team a positive start as he struck four boundaries off Christian's over, while Warner also gave him good company at the other end but the former's stay at the wicket was cut short by Harmeet Singh for a seven-ball 12.

And the next two overs saw the hosts being pushed on to the back foot when Christian and Harmeet accounted for the wickets of Naman Ojha and Aaron Finch to leave the Daredevils reeling at 38 for three.

While Christian trapped Ojha (2) leg before, Harmeet dismissed Finch for a nought as he edged one to Sangakkara.

It was then up to Warner and Venugopal Rao (21) to consolidate the innings and the duo managed to take the team to 78 for three after 10 overs.

But after putting on 52 runs for the fourth wicket with Warner, Rao, while trying to hit a six hit one straight down Christian's throat off Amit Mishra's bowling.

At the other end, although Warner managed to hold his ground but just after completing his half-century, he gave a simple catch to Ravi Teja off part-time spinner Shikhar Dhawan's bowling, after being dropped in the previous over.

Irfan Pathan's horrible IPL continued as he was quickly back in the dressing room, leaving the Daredevils with an uphill task.

Valthaty powers stunning Kings' win

Hyderabad: Paul Valthaty's delivered both as a bowler (4/29) and as a batsman (75 off 47 balls) to pave way for Kings XI Punjab's stunning victory over Deccan Chargers by eight wickets in match 15 of IPL-4 here on Saturday.

Chasing 166 to win, KXIP openers Adam Gilchrist and Paul Valthaty put on a 136-run stand to defuse the Chargers, who were let down by their bowlers.

The chase, though, didn't start without a drama as Ishant Sharma almost got Valthaty early but for a no-ball when he had the right-hander caught at point.

The KXIP openers, however, went from strength to strength, with Gilchrist joining Valthaty in the assault on Deccan Chargers as they turned a steady start into aggressive one.

While Valthaty started the attack, Gilchrist took it to a different level with his half century in just 30 balls en route to a century opening stand.

Sangakkara's all attempts to break the partnership fell apart as the duo treated both pacers and spinners with utter disdain.

With less than fifty runs left to win, Gilchrist chose to go on an all out attack but in that endeavour holed out at deep square leg to give Amit Mishra and Deccan Chargers their first wicket of the match. The KXIP skipper scored 61 off 46 balls, including five fours and three sixes.

That also ended the 136-run opening stand between Gilchrist and Valthaty – the highest of IPL-4 until now.

By now, Valthaty had a license to thrill and finish it in a hurry as he took a hit-all approach, reaching his second consecutive half century off 35 balls. And then surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to bag the orange cap as the tournament's leading run-scorer.

However, off the very next ball Mishra got his man as Ishant took a nice running catch at long-on to dismiss Man-of-the-Match Valthaty, who finished with 75 off 47 balls with eight fours and five towering sixes.

Mishra was the only wicket-taker for the hosts, with a spell of 2/28.

Earlier, Valthaty took a four-wicket haul for Kings XI Punjab but Daniel Christian’s 14-ball cameo of 30 runs helped the hosts notch up a competitive total of 165/8.

Opening the batting for the hosts after being put in to bat, Sunny Sohal tried to loft Harris over mid-off but could not clear the fielder.

Chargers' skipper Kumar Sangakkara then strode in at his customary No. 3 position and started rotating the strike to start off.

Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan chose to be the aggressor and took on the KXIP bowlers, increasing the scoring rate by the end of 10 overs.

But just when it looked the two would take the game away from KXIP, Piyush Chawla and part-timer Paul Valthaty delivered body blows by removing Sangakkara (35) and Dhawan (46) in consecutive overs.

Bharat Chipli (14 off 12 balls) helped recover his team from the double blow with a 21-run stand with JP Duminy but couldn't extend it further, becoming Valthaty's second victim of the day.

Duminy and all-rounder Daniel Christian then took things in their hands to end the innings with a flourish.

But after scoring 18, Duminy fell in quest of quick runs as he was caught by Piyush Chawla off Ryan McLaren.

Next man in was Manpreet Singh Gony but he too failed, sent back into the hut for a naught after being bowled by McLaren.

Then it was all left on Christian's shoulders to deliver some quick runs in the end and he responded with a six off Valthaty.

But Punjab's last-match hero with the bat delivered for them with the ball in hand as he bowled Christian in the same over after the Australian all-rounder had scored a whirlwind 30 off 14 balls, including two fours and two sixes.

Valthaty made it four wickets to his kitty in the same over as he sent back Amit Mishra without scoring to end with figures of 4/29 in his four overs. McLaren bagged two wickets while Harris and Chawla claimed one apiece.`

CSK extend RCB losing streak

Chennai: Defending champions Chennai Super Kings rode on a blistering unbeaten 83 from Michael Hussey as they thumped Royal Challengers Bangalore by 21 runs to bounce back after their last match defeat in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.

Playing his first match of the tournament, Hussey smashed 11 fours and a six in his 56-ball knock to anchor Chennai to an imposing 183 for five after electing to bat at the M A Chaidambaram Stadium.

Chasing 184 for five for a win, Bangalore struggled throughout after losing three key wickets inside the first five overs before A B de Villiers made a last-ditch effort to snatch a win with a strokeful 64.

But the asking rate, which rose to nearly 15 by the 15th over, was too much to overcome and Bangalore could manage 162 for seven in 20 overs to slump to their third successive loss in the tournament.

De Villiers played some stunning shots, including a reverse-sweep six off Tim Southee, to make a match out of it before he was out in the penultimate over. His 64 off 44 balls contained five fours and two sixes.

Albie Morkel and Suraj Randiv took two wickets each for Bangalore while Tim Southee, Ravichandran Ashwin and Sadab Jakati scalped a wicket each.

Bangalore were at the backfoot as soon as they started the chase with two batsmen returning to the hut for just 17 runs on the board by the second over itself.

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan's poor run of form in the tournament continued as he fell for a first-ball duck, caught by Anirudha Srikkanth at mid-wicket region off Morkel in the second ball of the chase.

One-down Asad Pathan looked like he was not concerned by the early jolt and hit two fours and six off Morkel as if taking revenge for dismissing Dilshan.

Pathan's brief aggression turned out to be flash in the pan as he was sent packing for 14 (off five balls) in the second over by Southee who bowled the batsman who played across while attempting a scoop shot.

Bangalore's misery was compounded as the other opener Mayank Agarwal (7) departed in the fifth over with Ashwin striking in his first over.

Agarwal inexplicably went for a big shot without reaching to the pitch of the ball and ended up skying one to Morkel. Bangalore were 31 for three in the fifth over.

Besides de Villiers, Virat Kohli was the other Bangalore batsman who took the Chennai bowlers to task before he was out while trying to accelerate the pace with the asking rate rising steeply.

Kohli, who made 71 in a losing cause in Bangalore's last match, gave special treatment to Jakati with two fours and a six in quick succession but it was the same bowler who had the last laugh.

Jakati enticed Kohli to come charging down the track and the batsman top-edged the ball to Anirudha at long-on. Kohli's 35 came from 28 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six.

At 73 for four in the 11th over, it looked a tough task for Bangalore to overhaul the target but A B de Villiers, who had been ordinary in the tournament so far, kept RCB in for a chance with some lusty hits.

De Villiers also picked out Jakati as he hit the bowler for a six and a four to take 13 runs from the 14th over but the South African did not get much support from the other end.

Saurbh Tiwary departed in the 15th over, dismissed by Suraj Randiv leaving Bangalore to score 111 runs from 9.1 overs with five wickets intact.

The late heroics by de Villiers gave a ray of hope to Bangalore but the hiccups in the initial overs proved costly in the end.

Earlier, Hussey cashed in on two dropped chances to score unbeaten 83 to help Chennai score 183 for five.

The Australian was well supported by opener Murali Vijay (31 off 21) and Suresh Raina (29 off 16) while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (22) provided late burst with some lusty hittings as the home side entertained the packed crowd.

For Bangalore, paceman Johan van der Wath (2/49) and off-spinner Ryan Ninan (2/31) were the most successful bowlers though both were quite expensive. Zaheer Khan also grabbed a wicket giving away 33 runs from his quota of four overs.

Openers Vijay and Hussey struggled to get off the blocks against the pace and spin combination of Zaheer Khan and Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori, with the first four overs yielding just 18 runs.

Vettori introduced South African medium pacer van der Wath into the attack in the fifth over and he had almost accounted for Hussey's wicket on his second ball but Mohammad Kaif dropped a sitter at the mid-off region.

Vijay took van der Wath for special treatment in the same over as he hit him for two consecutive fours and a six to take 15 runs from the over.

Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan was not spared either as this time Hussey, playing in place of New Zealander Scott Styris, hit him for two consecutive fours in the sixth over.

Chennai reached the 50-run mark in 6.2 overs but immediately Vijay was dismissed by Ninan.

Next man in Suresh Raina (29) and Hussey put on a 45-run stand for the second wicket to take the Chennai total close to 100-run mark.

Raina's arrival provided the much-needed impetus to Chennai innings as the left-hander clobbered Ninan for two consecutive fours and a six in the 11th over.

But it was Ninan who had the last laugh as Raina, looking for another big shot, ended up giving a simple catch to Mayank Agarwal at extra cover. He hit three fours and a six in his 16-ball stay.

From there on, it was left to Hussey and Dhoni to guide Chennai to an imposing total.