CHENNAI, April 28: Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood struck vital blows with his accurate seam bowling to help Kings XI Punjab score a seven-run win over defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.

Azhar grabbed 3-25 after chipping in with a useful 18 runs as Punjab scored 156-8 and then restricted Chennai to 149-8 on a slow Chidambaram Stadium pitch.

Azhar removed openers Faf du Plessis (29) and Subramaniam Badrinath (25) in successive overs and came back to dismiss the dangerous Albie Morkel in the final over to clinch the game for Punjab. His effort was backed up by leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who accounted for Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja to destabilise the mid-innings.

West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who had bagged two wickets earlier in the day, gave a glimmer of hope with a knock of 30 but holed out in the deep off Praveen Kumar.

Earlier, South African Morkel helped restrict Punjab despite a strong start by the visiting team.

Morkel took 3-29 including the important wickets of compatriot David Miller (19) and Australian David Hussey (7) as Punjab slipped from 127-2 in the 16th over.

Opener Mandeep Singh was the highest scorer with 56 off 50 balls with one six and five fours. Australian Shaun Marsh chipped in with a crisp 32 off 22 before he was run out backing up too far as a straight drive from Singh went on to the stumps off Ashwin’s shoe.

Azhar chipped in with 18, including two sixes off consecutive balls from Jadeja, before he was bowled by Bravo.

Punjab are only above bottom-place Deccan Chargers in the nine-team league with four wins and five losses from nine games. Chennai are currently third with four wins, four losses and an abandoned game.

Meanwhile, captain Virender Sehwag struck a belligerent 73 off 39 balls as Delhi Daredevils scored an easy 37-run win over Mumbai Indians on Friday to remain top of the league table.

Sehwag’s effort was supplemented by Mahela Jayawardene (55) and Kevin Pietersen (50 not out) as Delhi amassed a huge total of 207-5 after being put in to bat. Mumbai could only manage 170-9 on a good batting pitch at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium.

Sehwag dominated a rollicking 135-run opening stand with Jayawardene, smashing four sixes and eight fours during his third successive half-century in the tournament.

Lucky to survive a stumping chance on 40 off spinner Robin Peterson, Sehwag once smashed West Indian Kieron Pollard for two sixes and two fours in an over that went for 23 runs. He eventually fell to Peterson, who also took the wickets of Jayawardene and Irfan Pathan as Delhi slipped to 154-3.

But Pietersen produced a 26-ball cameo with three sixes and six fours, including a switch-hit six off Peterson, to ensure Delhi went past the 200-mark despite Lasith Malinga coming on to take two wickets in the 19th over of the innings.

For Mumbai, Ambati Rayudu provided hope with a 39-ball 62 but left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem’s twin strike in the 16th over, when he dismissed both Rayudu and West Indian big-hitter Pollard, ended the challenge.

Mumbai had lost a few early wickets before a 96-run stand for the fourth wicket between Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik (40) helped the team back on track. But Kartik was bowled by Ajit Agarkar and then Nadeem came on to take two wickets off two deliveries just when Mumbai needed to step up the run-rate.

Delhi now have six wins from eight games while Mumbai remain on four wins from eight.

Results:

Kings XI Punjab beat Chennai Super Kings by seven runs. KINGS XI PUNJAB 156-8 in 20 overs (Mandeep Singh 56, S.E. Marsh 32; J.A. Morkel 3-29, D.J. Bravo 2-28); CHENNAI SUPER KINGS 149-8 in 20 overs (D.J. Bravo 30, F. du Plessis 29, S. Badrinath 25; Azhar Mahmood 3-25, P.P. Chawla 2-200. Delhi Daredevils beat Mumbai Indians by 37 runs. DELHI DAREDEVILS 207-5 in 20 overs (V. Sehwag 73, D.P.M.D. Jayawardene 55, K.P. Pietersen 50 not out; R.J. Peterson 3-37, S.L. Malinga 2-31); MUMBAI INDIANS 170-9 (A.T. Rayudu 62, K.D. Karthik 40; Shahbaz Nadeem 2-35, U.T. Yadav 2-36, Irfan Pathan 2-46).—AP