Delhi Jets entered the semifinals of the ICL Twenty20 tournament
here today after skipper Marvan Atapattu led from the front, hitting an
unbeaten 64, to guide them to a six-wicket win over Chennai Superstars.
Chasing 175 runs to win after electing to field, openers Taufeeq Umar
(20) and Monish Mishra (37) gave the Jets a flying start taking them
to 62. After Mishra's dismissal, Atapattu took over and dispatched the white
ball to all parts of the 7,000 capacity ground.
The former Sri Lankan skipper's knock came in just 43 balls and was studded
with four boundaries and two sixes.
The Superstars, who had earlier won three matches on a trot, never appeared
to trouble the Jets, who achieved their target with four balls to spare.
Barring Thiru Kumaran, who took two wickets giving away 31 runs, all
other bowlers got the stick from Jets batsmen.
Earlier, the Superstars, who have already ensured a berth for themselves in
the semis, also started on a confident note, with Ian Harvey (30 of 20 balls)
making valuable contribution as an opener before being run out.
However, loss of three middle-order batsmen in quick succession affected the
chances of Jets posting a 200 plus target.
For the Jets, S J Srivastava proved quite expensive giving away 47 runs
in four overs while Abid Nabi also got some stick, giving away 34 in three overs.
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