CSK openers impressed again, adding 86 for the first wicket in 9.4 overs. The partnership ended when Ruturaj Gaikwad (37 off 31) was stumped off Sikandar Raza’s bowling. Devon Conway carried on batting till the 20th over. His wonderful knock of 92 not out in 52 balls featured 16 fours and a six as the Kiwi continued his great run with the bat.
Shivam Dube chipped in with a handy 28 off 17. However, Moeen Ali (10) and Ravindra Jadeja (12) fell cheaply. It needed a nice cameo from MS Dhoni (13* off 4), including two sixes, to push CSK to 200.
Chasing 201, Prabhsimran Singh (42 off 24) and skipper Shikhar Dhawan (28 off 15) added 50 in 4.2 overs for Punjab. The stand ended when Dhawan was caught off Tushar Deshpande’s bowling. Prabhsimran was looking good for a fifty, but was stumped off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. The left-arm spinner also had Atharva Taide (13) caught and bowled.
Liam Livingstone (40 off 24) and Sam Curran (29 off 20) added 57 for the fourth wicket to bring the chase back on track. The dangerous stand was broken when Livingstone miscued a pull off Deshpande. Matheesha Pathirana then knocked over Curran as the fortunes of the match seemed to be swinging again.
Jitesh Sharma came in and hammered 21 off 10 before becoming Deshpande’s third victim. It came down to three off the last ball. Sikandar Raza (13*) guided a slower ball from Matheesha Pathirana over square leg and ran three to lift PBKS to a tense win.
Speaking after the game, Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan said, “It feels very special. Beating Chennai in Chennai is a very big thing. Very pleased and that shows the great character of our side, leaving that loss behind and coming up with a fresh mindset.
“I was very happy with the way our bowlers bowled; we got them at the right score. They have been very consistent. As a captain we wanted them to play more overs, Liam has got his touch back and would want him to bat more overs. Good signs that all are playing well,” he added.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
