Kimberley, May 9: Aussie powerhouse Matthew Hayden was just a shadow of his destructive best on Saturday, but it was more than enough as Chennai Super Kings rolled to a facile seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match here.

Hayden (44-ball 48), having lost his opening partner M. Vijay and one-down counter attacker Suresh Raina, early in Chennai’s pursuit of Royals’ 140/7, took it upon himself to guide the side across the finish line.

He was ably supported by the aggressive S. Badrinath (59), and together, the duo racked up 89 runs in close to 11 overs, effectively setting up the win with 10 balls to spare. By the time Hayden was dismissed, Chennai had as good as ensured the win.

The remaining 15 runs required in 17 balls were knocked off by the Badrinath-Jacob Oram combine, handing the Super Kings their sixth win in 10 matches. The side now lead the table with Delhi Daredevils hot on their trail.

Earlier, the Rajasthan Royals put together a competitive score. However, none of the batsmen could capitalise on their starts. South African skipper Graeme Smith top-scored with a sedate 30 off 33 balls — with two hits to the boundary. Three other batsmen scored over 20 runs, but failed to make the most of their stay at the crease.

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was the pick of the bowlers for the Super Kings, returning figures of 2/22. Muralitharan ensnared crucial wickets of Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar, who stroked a 25-ball 26.

Left-armer Shadab Jakati also grabbed a couple but conceded 35 runs of his allotted four overs.

Medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji was the most economical bowler on show, finishing with figures of 1/13. He took the crucial wicket of Ravindra Jadeja who was beginning to look dangerous, scoring 27 runs of 19 balls with three fours and a six. Late fireworks by skipper Shane Warne, who hit 21 of 11 balls, took Rajasthan to 140/7 — after the defending champions were at 111/7 in the 18th over.

Scores: Rajasthan Royals 140/7 in 20 overs (G. Smith 30, R. Jadeja 27, S. Asnodkar 26, M. Muralitharan 2/22, S. Jakati 2/35) lost to Chennai Super Kings 141/3 in 18.2 overs (M. Hayden 48, S. Badrinath 59, S. Warne 1/27)