CSK vs PBKS at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was a thriller in which Punjab Kings held their nerves to record their 4th win of the tournament ultimately.
CSK vs PBKS Highlights:
Ravindra Jadeja won the toss and informed Chennai would have a bowl first.
PBKS Inning:
Punjab captain Mayank struggled to time the ball due to the two-paced nature of the pitch. However, Shikhar Dhawan kept his calm and knocked the ball around to lay the foundation for his outstanding knock.
The opening pair fetched 37 runs for Punjab before Maheesh Theekshana removed Agarwal on 18. Dhawan found an able partner in Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and the duo went on to establish a solid 110 run partnership for the 2nd wicket.
Rajapaksa scored 42 off 32 before DJ Bravo removed him from the middle. PBKS needed a strong finish to finish the inning on a high. Liam Livingstone provided the much-needed burst of runs for Punjab Kings. Livingstone smashed 19 off 7 deliveries to ensure that PBKS finished with an above-par total.
Dhawan, too, took an attacking approach and sent balls flying in all the corners of the ground. He remained unbeaten on 88* off 59, including 9 fours and 2 sixes. PBKS posted 187/4 in the 20 overs.
CSK Inning:
Chennai needed a solid foundation to lay the framework for a massive chase on the difficult pitch. However, Robin Uthappa and Mitchell Santner consumed too many balls without contributing much to the team’s total in initial overs.
Uthappa and Santner’s innings created an absurd amount of pressure on the middle-order, and the man in form, Shivam Dube, succumbed to the situation. Dube could only manage 8 off 7. CSK was struggling at 40-4 in 7 overs and needed a herculean effort from someone to take them closer to the target.
Ambati Rayudu came out all gun blazing and played one of the best innings of his career. He dismantled the PBKS bowlers and completely turned around the match. Ruturaj Gaikwad and he constructed a 49 run stand for the 5th wicket. Gaikwad added 30 off 27 before he departed from the middle.
Rayudu partnered with Jadeja for a 64 run stand for the 6th wicket. The former scored the bulk of the runs in the partnership to stir up excitement in the game. However, Kagiso Rabada clean bowled Rayudu in the 18th over to bring PBKS back in the game. Rayudu scored 78 off 39, including 7 fours and 6 sixes.
CSK needed more than 35 runs in the last 2 overs, which proved too much for the duo of Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni. PBKS won the game by 11 runs to register their 4th win of the tournament. On the other hand, CSK suffered its 6th loss of Tata IPL 2022.
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