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Johannesburg: 2010 winners Chennai Super Kings began the Champions League 2012 with a defeat to Sydney Sixers. All-rounder Moises Henriques’ fine contribution with bat and ball helped the Australian outfit win by 14 runs at the Wanderers Stadium today.

Henriques made a quick 49 to provide the Sixers an excellent finish to their innings after been inserted by MS Dhoni. They made 185-5. Henriques added 75 runs in 7.3 overs with Steven Smith, and then blew a hole through the Chennai middle-order when it looked like the chase would go down to the wire.

With Suresh Raina slamming a 24-ball fifty after Fa du Plessis’ quick 43, Chennai were threatening to tae the game away. Henriques’ three wickets – Raina, Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath – took away Chennai’s momentum.

Chennai needed 45 runs off 22 balls when Raina lofted Henriques towards long-on where Smith judged the ball well and caught it cleanly. In the same over, Dhoni mistimed a pull-shot and pacer Josh Hazlewood ran in from midwicket to take the catch diving forward.

Earlier, Michael Lumb and Shane Watson had given Sydney a game-setting start of 50 in six overs. They were up against Chennai’s all-Australia new-ball pair of Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus but had no trouble taming them.

Watson continued with his great hitting form at the World Twenty20 in making 46 (30b) before a run-out did him in.

Chennai have four more games to make amends in the tournament. They will play the Lions next.