CSK vs PBKS Review – Punjab prevail in the Kings contest
Punjab Kings snatched the victory off the final ball by four wickets against Chennai Super Kings in a thrilling affair at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 30. MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first as the opening duo of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad got 84 runs before the latter was sent packing for 37 off 31 balls.
At no. 3, Shivam Dube hit the ground running in his quick 17-ball 28 knock. Meanwhile, Conway continued to play his fine innings to keep CSK in the driver’s seat and notched up his half-century off 30 balls. However, he got little to no help from the rest of the unit. MS Dhoni hammered two sixes on the trot off the final over to steer CSK to 200 as Sikandar Raza, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh got one wicket apiece.
In reply, Punjab introduced Impact Player Prabhsimran Singh to open alongside skipper Shikhar Dhawan. The pair added 50 runs between them, however, Dhawan headed back to the dugout after scoring 28 off 15 balls with four fours and one six at a strike rate of 186.66. PBKS remained steady in the chase despite CSK getting few wickets as Liam Livingstone played a blazing knock of 40 off 24 balls
However, soon after Livingstone’s dismissal, Sam Curran too departed for 29 runs and the onus was on Jitesh Sharma to steer the side. The batter scored a two fours and one six to get 21 runs off 10 balls but was dismissed by Tushar Deshpande at a crucial point. Eventually Sikander Raza won the contest for his team by four wickets in the final ball of the thriller.
Top performers from the match
Devon Conway: The CSK opener clobbered as many as 16 boundaries and one maximum in his unbeaten 92 off 52 and once again provided a solid start to his team. He is currently the second-highest scorer in the league, with 414 runs in nine innings.
Ravindra Jadeja: The spinner got two scalps under his belt and was economical in the chase. He gave away 32 runs at a decent economy of 8.00 in his four overs. However, his performance was not enough to secure a win for the hosts.
What’s next for both teams?
CSK meet Lucknow Super Giants on May 3 in Lucknow whereas Punjab Kings will lock horns with Mumbai Indians on the same day in Mohali.
