IPL 2021: PBKS vs CSK Review: Deepak Chahar’s spell derails Punjab in Mumbai
Deepak Chahar’s opening spell against Punjab Kings was too hot for the KL Rahul-led team to handle. After slipping to an early collapse, Punjab failed to recover and went down getting dominated by Chennai Super Kings in this IPL 2021 league match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chennai beat Punjab Kings by six wickets, chasing down the target of 107 runs easily.
CSK captain MS Dhoni won the toss earlier in the day and elected to field first. Deepak Chahar created a lot of pressure bowling four straight overs upfront. Five wickets fell during his spell, with one wicket coming from a run-out. After his spell, Punjab Kings formed a small recovery on the back of Shahrukh Khan’s knock of 47 runs from 36 balls.
Khan, playing his debut season showed composure, something which the other batsmen didn’t. Ravindra Jadeja took a brilliant catch and ran out Rahul with a superb direct hit. He also bowled a spell of 0 for 19 from four overs. Sam Curran, DJ Bravo and Moeen Ali picked up a wicket each. Chennai got off to a slow start with the bat, with Ruturaj Gaikwad failing again.
Moeen Ali batted aggressively with Faf du Plessis anchoring the innings. Mohammad Shami returned with figures of 2 for 21 from four overs for Punjab. It wasn’t enough to contain CSK, who chased down the total with 26 balls to spare. Du Plessis stayed unbeaten for his 36 runs guiding the Men in Yellow home as they got their first points in IPL 2021.
Top performers:
Deepak Chahar: Having chosen to bowl, MS Dhoni wanted his strike bowler to start well. Deepak Chahar responded by picking four wickets in the first seven overs of the match. He also finished his spell of four overs and his four wickets crippled Punjab Kings’ batting order. Chahar conceded only 13 runs and ensured Punjab just couldn’t get away with runs in the powerplay. After this, Punjab’s innings was in total disarray and they could not recover.
Moeen Ali: The England all-rounder performed really well with the ball early. On a pitch where spinners have struggled to take wickets, Moeen got one and gave just 17 runs in his three overs. With the bat, he was promoted over Suresh Raina to No. 3 and played a counter-attacking innings to help Chennai Super Kings get hold of the chase. Ali scored 46 runs off 31 balls.
Personal records/ Achievements:
Deepak Chahar celebrated his 50th IPL match with a match-winning spell of 4 for 13
MS Dhoni played his 200th match in the IPL for CSK, becoming the first player to play 200 matches for one team in the tournament
MileStone Dhoni!
The legend is appearing in yellow for the 200th time in T20 cricket. ?#IPL2021 #PBKSvCSK pic.twitter.com/TarPFzjPyu
— 100MB (@100MasterBlastr) April 16, 2021
Way ahead:
Punjab Kings will now face Delhi Capitals on April 18, while Chennai will play against Rajasthan Royals on April 19. Both the matches will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
