On April 25, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 11 runs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja won the toss and opted to have a field first. PBKS got off to a slow but steady start thanks to skipper Mayank Agarwal (18 off 21 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (88* off 59 balls). Before the skipper was summoned back to the pavilion, the opening pair had scored 37 runs.
Before Rajapaksa was dismissed, Sri Lanka batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa (42 off 32 balls) put together an amazing 110-run stand. Dhawan, on the other hand, kept up his great batting form and was joined by England’s hard-hitting Liam Livingstone. Before being scalped by experienced all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, Livingstone delivered several powerful smashes. PBKS finished their 20 overs with a score of 187/4, thanks to Dhawan and Bairstow’s contributions at the end.
CSK batters Robin Uthappa (1), Mitchell Santner (9), and Shivam Dube (8) all struggled to get going in the chase for 188. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu kept CSK in the game but Gaikwad got out after scoring 30 off 27 balls.
Rayudu (78 off 39 balls) continued his explosive form before being dismissed by bowler Kagiso Rabada. During the death overs, both Rabada and left-arm bowler Arshdeep Singh were brilliant, bowling some tight lines.
Rishi Dhawan, who was making an IPL comeback after 5 seasons was tasked with defending 27 in the last over. The all-rounder succeeded in bringing the CSK innings to a halt at 176/6 in their 20 overs.
After defeating the Yellow Army, PBKS has climbed to sixth place in the points table. CSK, on the other hand, remains in ninth place.
PBKS defeated CSK by 11 runs – Post-Match reaction
In the post-match interview, the winning captain Mayank Agrawal said
We would like to win a few tosses, we have just won one. I thought Arsh bowled exceedingly well, he has bowled the tough overs, he has been great for us. Even Rabada bowled well, to get Ruturaj and get Rayudu at that stage. These two have been great for us.
We have won one, but we need to win two or three on the bounce.
Meanwhile, the losing captain Ravindra Jadeja said
We started off very well, we felt we gave away 10-15 runs extra at the end. We did not execute our plans very well. He [Rayudu] was batting brilliantly, throughout but as I said earlier, if we could’ve restricted them to under 175 it would’ve been good. We are not getting good starts in the first 6 overs, that’s where we are lacking and hopefully, we will come back stronger.
What’s next for Punjab and Chennai?
PBKS will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on 29th April in their 9th match of the season. Meanwhile, CSK will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on 1st May.
