Dube, Uthappa fire IPL holders Chennai to first win
IPL
|| AFP ||
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19 Apr 25
Shivam Dube and Robin Uthappa smashed 17 sixes between them to help holders Chennai Super Kings register their first win of the Indian Premier League season against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.
Dube, who struck an unbeaten 95, and Uthappa, who hit 88, put on a third-wicket partnership of 165 to drive Chennai to 216-4 against RCB in Mumbai.
Chennai, led by new skipper Ravindra Jadeja, then kept Bangalore to 193-9 to win by 23 runs after a threatening 34 off 14 from Dinesh Karthik.
Four-time winners CSK, who had a change of captaincy before this season after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down, bounced back from their opening four losses.
Uthappa, 36, was dismissed after his 50-ball blitz, laced with nine hits over the fence, as he fell to Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who also got Jadeja for naught with his next ball.
Dube missed out on a century, but smashed two more sixes in the final over from Josh Hazlewood to steer Bangalore to the highest total of this season's tournament.
Chennai reached 60-2 in 10 overs before Uthappa and Dube tore into the opposition attack to plunder 156 runs from the next 10.
Bangalore suffered early losses in their chase as Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana removed both openers, including skipper Faf du Plessis for eight.
Former captain Virat Kohli fell for one and Jadeja bowled Glenn Maxwell with his left-arm spin after the Australian batter made 26 off 11 deliveries. Bangalore slipped to 50-4.
Shahbaz Ahmed (41) and Suyash Prabhudessai (34) attempted to hit back in a partnership of 60 but Theekshana bowled both batters to finish with figures of 4-33.
Jadeja took three wickets and caught Karthik, who smashed two fours and three sixes, off Dwayne Bravo to end Bangalore's hopes.
