Sathish blitz helps Superstars finish third

Chennai Superstars186 for 4 (Sathish 86, Vignesh 40, Nechim 3-28) beat Kolkata Tigers 154 (McMillan 35, Kumaran 3-12, Devendran 3-35) by 32 runs
Scorecard

Inspired by R Sathish's 42-ball 86, the Chennai Superstars secured third place with a 32-run victory over the Kolkata Tigers. The other big contributor to the win was T Kumaran, who turned in another miserly performance - taking 3 for 12 in his four overs.

The Superstars chose to bat first and were given a splendid start by G Vignesh, who crunched six fours and two sixes in a 19-ball 40. Medium-pacer Abu Nechim brought the Tigers back into the match, taking two quick wickets to reduce the Superstars to 59 for 3 after seven overs. Hemang Badani and Sathish, though, ensured the initiative gained by Vignesh's pyrotechnics weren't wasted as they bludgeoned 108 off 12 overs. While Sathish was the dominant partner, Badani contributed a measured 36.

The Tigers started spiritedly in pursuit of the daunting target, with Lance Klusener - the tournament's top scorer - and Deep Dasgupta raising 49 in the first five overs. Even after the pair fell in quick succession, the Tigers kept up with the asking rate with captain Craig McMillan making an express 35.

The introduction of Kumaran changed the game's complexion: he removed Rajiv Kumar and got the big wicket of McMillan while giving away only five runs in his first two overs. The required-rate jumped from 9.50 to 12.00 over his two-over burst. Medium-pacer V Devenran was expensive but got three wickets as the Tigers' chase spluttered. Eventually, they were bowled out for 154 in the 19th over.