Arnold blitz helps Superstars clinch thriller

Chennai Superstars 187 for 6 (Arnold 66*, Harvey 49) beat Kolkata Tigers 185 for 6 (McMillan 69, Jhunjhunwala 50) by four wickets
Scorecard

Russel Arnold blitzed a 40-ball 66 to inspire the Chennai Superstars to a nail-biting victory over the Kolkata Tigers in Hyderabad. Set a challenging 186 to win, Arnold and the Superstars held their nerve to post their first win of the tournament, with two balls to spare.

While it was Arnold who applied the finishing touches, it was the in-form opener Ian Harvey who laid the groundwork with an express 49 featuring three sixes and four fours. He and G Vignesh gave the Superstars a flier, raising 49 off the first five overs.By the time Harvey was dismissed in the tenth over, the Superstars had raced to 92.

Though Hemang Badani fell cheaply soon after, the asking-rate wasn't allowed to increase too much from the initial 9.30. It was the Arnold show from then as the other batsmen contributed a mere 11 of the required 53 runs. A torrent of boundaries flowed from his bat and even his mishits cleared the ropes, including a top-edged pull which flew over fine leg.

Earlier, after opting to bat, the Tigers were reduced to 14 for 3 by the third over. However, a brutal onslaught from captain Craig McMillan (69 off 41, five fours, four sixes) and a relatively tempered half-century from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala enabled them to reach a formidable total. At that stage, it seemed the Tigers would condemn the Superstars to their third successive defeat but Arnold's pyrotechnics carried the Chennai side to victory.

Despite the defeat, the Tigers are in third place, one above the Superstars. The Lahore Badshahs top the table having won all three of their games so far.