David Warner smashed a blistering unbeaten century as New South Wales dumped defending champions Chennai Super Kings out of the Champions League Twenty20 with a 46-run thrashing in Chennai on Tuesday.
Electing to bat, New South Wales posted an imposing 201 for two, riding on Warner's 69-ball 135 not out, and Chennai needed to chase down the target in 17 overs if they were to qualify for the semifinals from Pool A.
Chennai, however, managed to score 155 all out in their last league match.
With the result, NSW and the Mumbai Indians qualified for the semi-finals after having collected six and five points respectively at the end of their league engagements.
Chennai could only win one out of their four matches and finished at the bottom of the five-team Pool A.
Trinidad and Togabo, who defeated Cape Cobras in another Pool A match today, failed to qualify for the last-four stage as they ended their league engagements on four points.
Chasing a daunting target, Chennai made a strong start with openers Mike Hussey (37) and Murali Vijay (17) adding 55 runs for the first wicket before they lost the way later on.
The openers departed in the space of seven balls with Hussey was the first to depart while Vijay followed soon after. Hussey's 27-ball cameo consisted of seven fours.
Steve O'Keefe, who picked up the key wicket of Vijay proved it was no fluke by accounting for another top batter, Suresh Raina (28) to leave Chennai reeling at 88/3 after 10 overs. Raina hit one six and five fours in his 14-ball stay at the crease.
Skipper M S Dhoni (2), who came in with his side at 67 for two, could not provide the fireworks for the defending champions being caught by Steven Smith off Moises Henriques at long off.
O'Keefe was turning out to be the real star for the NSW as he struck again, this time twice in the same over, to rattle the defending champions. He first dismissed Dwayne Bravo (16) and then contributed in the run-out of Wriddhiman Saha (0) to leave Chennai needing a miracle with half their team back in the pavilion.
S Badrinath was bowled by Clark for 13 in the 15th over soon after hitting a four, while R Ashwin (1) was caught by Henriques off Smith in the next over.
Doug Bollinger (17) and Nuwan Kualsekara (18) took the Chennai total past 150-run mark with some good clean hitting before Mitchell Starc sealed the issue in favour of his team, picking up both wickets in the 19th over.
Earlier, Warner hit his second Twenty20 century, laced with eight sixes and 11 fours to propel NSW to a challenging total. He also put on a stand of 101 runs in just 10.5 overs with Steven Smith (31).
The duo were in absolute command during their rip-roaring second-wicket stand. The pair joined forces after Warner and Shane Watson (21) put on 54 for the first wicket, and were not separated till Watson was caught by Dhoni off Ashwin in the seventh over.
Warner went on to complete his first hundred in the Twenty20 league with a single off Nuwan Kulasekara's fourth ball of the 18th over.
NSW made a good start as opener Watson took Doug Bollinger for special treatment in the second over, clobbering him for three fours.
Warner too joined the party as he hit spinner R Ashwin for two consecutive fours in the fifth over as NSW openers took the team past 50-run mark in the next over.
Chennai got their first breakthrough in the form of Watson. The Australian tried to slog but only ended up top-edging it to the wicket-keeper.
New man in, Smith in the company of Warner, managed to keep the scoreboard ticking by running well between the wickets and picking up occasional boundaries.
Warner got a reprieve in the 10th over when Shadab Jakati misjudged the catch at point and dropped him off Dwayne Bravo.
The dropped chance proved costly for Chennai as the Aussie opener brought up his 50 with his seventh four of the innings in the 12th over.
Warner was in ominous form as he first plundered Bollinger for a six and a four in the 13th over and then accumulated 15 runs off Shadab Jakati in the next over, courtsey a six and two fours.
Dhoni's gamble to introduce Raina into the attack too failed to stop Warner as he hit him for a six and a four.
For Chennai, Kulasekara and Ashwin picked up a wicket each.
