Chennai: Laxmipathi Balaji registered the first hattrick of the Indian Premier League to help Chennai Super Kings assert their supremacy over Kings XI Punjab on Saturday. The hosts won by 18 runs.

Balaji claimed five wickets, including a hattrick in the last over of the match, and gave away just 24 runs in his four overs.

This was the second successive win for the hosts over the Punjab team as they had beaten them in the away tie earlier in the tournament.

Chennai Super Kings thus regained their second position in the standings. They are tied on 12 points from nine games with Rajasthan Royals. Leaders Shane Warne’s men have played a game less and also enjoy a superior run rate.

Put in to bat, the Chennai team piled up a competitive 181 for four, thanks to superb batting by S Badrinath and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and then restricted the visitors to 163 for nine in their quota of 20 overs.

Balaji provided crucial breakthroughs early and then got his hattrick in the last over, in which the visitors required 27 runs for victory.

Opener Shaun Marsh (58) hit a blazing half-century but that was not enough to earn a revenge victory for his team as other batsmen let the visitors down.

Marsh’s innings came off just 38-balls with three boundaries and four sixes including one, which landed on the roof of the stadium.Earlier, skipper Dhoni (60 not out) and Badrinath (64) hit half-centuries. (PTI)