DUBAI: Captain KL Rahul smashed an unbeaten 98 off 42 balls and helped Punjab Kings retain slim Indian Premier League playoff hopes after beating Chennai Super Kings by six wickets on Thursday.
Punjab sat fifth in the standings, and to make the top four needed Kolkata Knight Riders to lose heavily to Rajasthan Royals late Thursday and defending champions Mumbai Indians to lose their last group game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
Despite defeat on Thursday, Chennai were certain to finish among the top two.
Tournament top-scorer Rahul just missed a maiden century in this IPL but hammered eight sixes and seven boundaries to overhaul Chennai’s 134-6 with 139-4 and seven overs to spare. Punjab moved ahead of Mumbai on net run rate.
Rahul has hit six half-centuries and scored 626 runs at an impressive average of 62.60 in the tournament.
Fast bowlers Deepak Chahar (1-48) and Dwayne Bravo (0-32) were smacked for 80 runs off six overs as Rahul unleahed an array of shots.
Earlier, after being sent into bat, Chennai’s top order crumbled against seamers Chris Jordan (2-20) and Arshdeep Singh (2-35).
Faf du Plessis made 76 off 55 balls and Ravindra Jadeja 15. They combined in a 67-run partnership after Chennai was 61-5 in the 12th over when legspinner Ravi Bishnoi clean-bowled captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 12.
KL Rahul smashes 98 in Punjab win over Chennai in IPL
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KL Rahul smashes 98 in Punjab win over Chennai in IPL
- Tournament top-scorer Rahul just missed a maiden century in this IPL but hammered eight sixes and seven boundaries
Marmoush, Salah strike as Egypt edge out holders Ivory Coast in quarter-final
- Egypt wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute
- That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance
AGADIR, Morocco: Omar Marmoush netted the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 triumph in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Center back Rami Rabia was the other scorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semifinal meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.
An own goal from Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for the Ivory Coast, winners of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champions.
Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy pinched the ball from Franck Kessie in the midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to thread a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still needed to shrug off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before slotting home.
But it quickly became clear the Ivorians were going to dominate possession, showing much more physical strength on the ball but without setting up clear chances.
Egypt went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his side further ahead from a corner.
The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
