A spectacular unbeaten 63 by S Badrinath helped Chennai Super Kings to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Pune Warriors in their Indian Premier League match at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
Chasing a modest 142 for victory, the visitors raced to 145 for 2 with three balls to spare.
The in-form Badri scored 63 not out, his 44-ball knock inclusive of six hits to the fence and two over it.
His unbeaten 65-run partnership for the third wicket (off 47 balls) with Suresh Raina (34 not out) took the visitors to what was a fairly comfortable victory.
It was Chennai's second successive win over Pune, after besting them at Chepauk on Monday, and their fourth win in seven matches, moving them up to second in the table.
For Pune, it was their fourth successive defeat.
The debutants have slumped since winning their two opening games and need to go back to the drawing board.
Earlier, skipper Yuvraj Singh returned to form with a fine unbeaten 62 to help Pune Warriors recover from a poor start and post a respectable 141 for six.
The left-handed batsman, who failed to score against Mumbai Indians and had a slow 34 in 43 balls against CSK two days ago, started slowly before opening out to slam four sixes and three fours in 43 balls as the Warriors recovered from 41 for four after opting to bat.
Yuvraj first found an able ally in Robin Uthappa (31 in 22 balls), with whom he shared 42 runs for the fifth wicket to steady the Pune innings, and then put on 40 runs with Mitchell Marsh (11) to guide his team beyond the 120-mark.
Doug Bollinger was the chief wrecker for CSK with a fine haul of three for 21 that included a maiden over in which he took two wickets.
Nuwan Kulasekara, who played his first tie, replacing an injured Albie Morkel, Tim Southee and Ravichandran Ashwin picked a wicket each as CSK once again throttled Pune's batting line-up after restricting them to 117 for nine in the 25-run win at Chennai two days ago.
Electing to bat, Pune started off in a flurry with Jesse Ryder hitting Kulasekera for three successive fours in the third over.
But then came the anti-climax when the home team lost two wickets in successive balls and then a third a little later, leaving them tottering at 28 for three.
Ryder fell to the first ball of the next over from left-arm pacer Bollinger, who then sent back Mohnish Mishra off the next delivery to be on a hat-trick.
Both Pune openers, who had crossed over when the left-handed Ryder was dismissed, fell mistiming the pull shot off Bollinger.
Ryder, who pulled, lofted and cover drove Kulasekara for successive fours in the previous over, was caught by a diving Anirudha Srikkanth at short mid-wicket and then Mishra gave away a tame catch to Shadab Jakati inside the ring.
Things became even more difficult for the Warriors, who had lost three matches on the trot coming into this game, when Mithun Manhas too departed cheaply, bowled by an incoming Kulasekara delivery.
At 28 for three, things looked bleak for Pune, who had lost four wickets inside the first six overs in their last two matches against Mumbai Indians and CSK to plunge to defeats.
Skipper Yuvraj started on a positive note with a couple off the first ball and a boundary off the next to take Warriors to 37 for three at the end of the Power Play.
Pune lost their fourth wicket in the eighth over when Manish Pandey departed after making 10, mistiming a pull straight to R Ashwin at mid-on off Southee to leave the Warriors reeling at 41 for four.
CSK brought in Ashwin into the attack and new man in Robin Uthappa reverse swept the off-spinner and then hoisted him over the mid wicket boundary for two sixes and a four in different overs.
He also attacked left-arm spinner Jakati and got nine runs off the bowler in one over. But in search of one too many Uthappa top-edged one to a diving Anirudha at the third man boundary off Ashwin.
Uthappa's quick-fire knock came off just 22 balls and had two sixes and as many fours in it.
Uthappa's stand of 42 with Yurvaj, who played second fiddle, raised the total past the 80-mark by the 13th over.
By the end of the 15th over, it had moved up to 91 before Yuvraj struck his first six of the innings, clobbering Ashwin over the mid-wicket. When Bollinger, who bowled a fine first spell of 2-1-6-2, returned in the 17th over, Yuvraj greeted the pacer with a straight six over long-on.
Later, the flamboyant batsman carted Southee for his third six to bring up his 50 in style in the last over in 39 balls. He later hoisted the Kiwi for another six over mid-wicket to increase the tempo and remained unconquered after adding 18 runs with Jerome Taylor (1 not out).
The Warriors added 40 runs in the last five overs.
