New Delhi, Oct. 21: In a Twenty20 match, the team quickest off the blocks invariably always crosses the line as victors. New South Wales Blues did just that and reaped the benefits as they stormed into the Champions League T20 final with a thumping 79-run win over the Victoria Bushrangers in the first semifinal at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Wednesday.

The two Australian sides were battling for an unprecedented amount of prize money here, with the winner of this contest assured of at least $1.3 million. NSW, the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash champions, began like a champion side they are and clinically dashed Victoria’s hopes.

Blues opener David Warner started off in blistering fashion to set the platform for a match-winning total of 169/7 in 20 overs.

Man of the match Warner, who is the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 188 runs, smashed an explosive 25-ball 48 which had the Bushrangers and the Delhiites dancing to his tune.

In the Blues’ turn to bowl, off-spinner Nathan Hauritz provided the dream start, first bowling out left-handed Rob Quiney for a duck and then a couple of balls later the other opener Brad Hodge was leg-before as the Bushrangers slid to 2/2 in the second over. When Aiden Blizzard skied Brett Lee straight to Simon Katich at mid-off in the next over the death knell for the Bushrangers campaign had been sounded.

Victoria never recovered from the early blows and fell way short of the target at 90/9 in 20 overs. Moises Henriques ended any hopes of a Bushrangers fightback with the wickets of David Hussey (16) and skipper Cameron White (11) to finish with an impressive 3/11 in three overs.

Earlier, the first couple of overs in the match were the lull before the storm as the carnage began in the third over with Warner starting with a couple of boundaries off Shane Harwood. There was more to come in the next over from Peter Siddle as Warner hit him for fours behind square-leg and then teed off for a straight six. Clint McKay was next in line as he was dispatched for a six over long-off.

Thanks to Warner’s pyrotechnics the Blues raced to 56/0 in the first six overs. Fellow-opener, Philip Hughes, could do nothing but admire the brutality from the other end.

Hughes, the top-scorer in the tournament with 199 runs in five matches, hitting left-arm spinner Jon Holland for one of the biggest sixes of the night before he was deceived by a McKay slower one to depart for 35 (28b, 4x4, 1x6).

Scores: New South Wales 169/7 in 20 overs (D Warner 48, P hughes 35, S Katich 26; C McKay 3/27) bt Victoria Bushrangers 90/9 in 20 overs (M Wade 23 n.o., D Hussey 16; N Hauritz 2/25, M Henriques 3/11, B Lee 2/15)