Chennai Super Kings are champions: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Eric-Owen-Simons-c56137 – Cricket News Update
Following their 86-run defeat at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 Daredevils’ coach Eric Simons has dubbed their opponents “champions”, lauding them for having come good at the end of the tournament,
despite an indifferent run through the league stage.
“Chennai is a very balanced side and they sneaked into the playoff with a mission,” Simons said. “They are a tough team balanced in both, in the bowling and batting line up. They have eight batsmen who can rotate the strike well. They struggled through the
league system but came good at the business end, which is the sign of champions and that is what they are.”
The performances of two-time IPL champions Chennai remained erratic throughout the league stage of the tournament – they won only 8 of the 16 matches they played, and lost their last game against the Kings XI http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833 by 6 wickets, leaving a question mark
hanging over the possibility of their participation in the playoffs stage.
However, the elimination of contesting teams http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rajasthan-c837 Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore by the bottom-of-the-table Deccan Chargers enabled the MS Dhoni-led side to make it into the playoffs stage of the tournament.
With the possibility of making it an IPL hat-trick by clinching the title a third time in sight, the Super Kings have come into every match fighting, and followed up their 38-run win against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Indians with a spectacular 86-run victory over the Delhi
Daredevils.
The fortunes of the Simons’ team, however, were the exact opposite – despite having finished top of the table in the league stage they lost momentum during the playoffs, and after an 18-run defeat at the hands of the Kolkata Knight Riders, allowed the Super
Kings to knock them out of the race for the title.
Despite their loss, Simons praised Murali Vijay, the Chennai batsman whose 113 off 58 deliveries had cost the Daredevils their match.
“http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Vijay-c1867 played an incredible innings … It is difficult to sit in a situation like this and completely judge in hindsight. Someone plays a great innings and we paid the price,” Simons observed.
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