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Dhoni’s Super Kings face survival battle

After an unsuccessful gamble by Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings will have to wait to know whether they will qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament.

Chennai were beaten in a Super Over by Australia’s Victoria Bushrangers at St George’s Park on Saturday after both teams scored 162 in 20 overs.

Dhoni entrusted the shoot-out over to off-spinner Ravichandra Ashwin, who conceded 23 runs, 22 of them scored by Victoria captain David Hussey.

Chennai could only manage 13 off Victoria medium-pacer Clint McKay.

It set up a situation where three teams could finish with three wins each in Group A - Chennai, Victoria and South African champions the Eastern Cape Warriors.

Victoria play Wayamba Elevens in Centurion on Monday and will be favourites to beat the Sri Lankans, who have lost both their games so far.

Chennai meet the unbeaten Warriors in Port Elizabeth in the last round robin match of the tournament on Wednesday in what shapes up as a crucial encounter.

The Warriors completed their third successive win in the early match of Saturday’s double-header when they defeated New Zealand’s Central Stags by six wickets.

Dhoni defended his choice of Ashwin to bowl the Super Over.

“He’s got a bit of variation. He can bowl the one that goes away from the batsman and at the same time he’s the one bowler who bowls more often than not for us in the first six overs. And our fast bowlers did not bowl very well.”

Dhoni said drizzle which fell during the Victoria innings, twice causing brief delays in play, had made it difficult for his bowlers to defend the 162 for six scored by Chennai.

The Indian Premier League team were also hampered by the absence of injured all-rounder Albie Morkel, which meant Dhoni had to use part-time off-spinner Suresh Raina as his sixth bowler.

Raina, though, bowled so well that he had figures of two for 15 after three overs, prompting Dhoni to keep him on for the last over which started with Victoria needing 12 to win with three wickets remaining.

McKay hit a six but Raina then took two wickets in two balls.

Peter Siddle hit a four and was able to scramble an overthrow before there was a run-out off the last ball when Bryce McGain could not get the ball away and was run out by half the length of the pitch.

David Hussey said it had been a good effort from his team because several players were suffering from a virus.

“We scrambled the Super Over and it was just lucky we got the points and we get another chance to do well in this tournament,” he said.

Victoria’s win meant the Warriors could not enjoy only a muted celebration of a win in which they had to mount the highest successful run chase of the tournament.

The Stags scored 175 for three in their 20 overs with captain Jamie How making an unbeaten 88.

Warriors captain Davy Jacobs hammered 74 off 47 balls as he and Ashwell Prince (64) put on 147 for the first wicket.

The Port Elizabeth side then lost four quick wickets before securing the win with five balls to spare.

Jacobs said the Warriors fielding had not been as good as in previous games in allowing the Stags to make a highly competitive total.

“We knew somewhere along the line we were going to have a tough game but we spoke about the need to win from different situations,” said Prince.