The match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Punjab Kings was one of the most thrilling yet, and there were numerous jaw-dropping plays and exciting developments that happened to take place within this match-up. This comes as no surprise when you consider the level that both teams are at, but this doesn’t make things any less intoxicating.
In this article, we will be looking at all of the most notable match highlights from the Chennai Super Kings/Punjab Kings match-up, as well as going through a couple of the main reasons why this match is not one you will want to forget. Without further ado, here are the CSK vs PBKS match highlights.
The fans of the Punjab Kings were overjoyed when the team secured a victory against Chennai Super Kings in the TATA Indian Premier League by eleven runs. This remarkable win was, in part, caused by Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten 88*(59) before the team grabbed an 11-run win yet again.
This game was even more historic for Shikhar Dhawan as it was his 200th IPL game overall. After such a big victory, the Punjab Kings have set the bar to a whole new level – a level that is not likely to get beaten any time soon.
In an overwhelming defeat, Chennai Super Kings’ Robin Uthappa lost his wicket early while desperately trying to aim for the target of 188. The unfortunate loss could be seen from miles away when Sandeep Sharma’s bowling caused the opener to be caught inside of the circle.
When CSK were 32-2 towards the end of the powerplay, Ruturaj Gaikwad had managed to strike two fours – an incredible move to try and salvage his team’s luck. This is no mere fluke; Ruturaj Gaikwad’s statistics are some of the best in the world. However, it was proven to be insufficient when the crowd watched Arshdeep Singh knocking Mitchell Santner’s stumps.
Another blow came for Chennai Super Kings when Shivam Dube became the next batter to be made redundant. The player made a crucial mistake as he inside-edged the cork ball towards the stumps against Dhawan – this would end up being a critical point in the game.
After Rayudu hit a four and six each, the 9th over made way for 13 runs. At that point, Chennai Super Kings were 69-3 at the halfway mark of the game when Rayudu succeeded in adding yet another four and six to his team’s score. CSK vs PBKS cricket just doesn’t get much more exciting than this.
In the 15th over, Rayudu had finally reached his half-century by securing his fifty runs with a six. However, Chennai Super Kings needed seventy off the final five.
When the 16th over finally arrived, twenty-three runs had to be conceded. To the devout followers of cricket, this came as no surprise because just a few minutes prior, Rayudu bludgeoned three sequential sixes which were followed by a four. From twenty-four successful deliveries, the sum was down to forty-seven runs.
In an attempt to regain momentum, the 18th over was met by Rabada when he was forced to clean up the stumps of Rayudu.
Arshdeep Singh made quite the impression when he only had to concede eight runs in the penultimate over as opposed to the twenty-three that had to be conceded by Rayudu from the Chennai Super Kings. At that point in the game, Chennai Super Kings needed twenty-seven off six deliveries.
The Punjab Kings made three changes as they swapped out their players for Sandeep Sharma, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Rishi Dhawan. Ultimately, Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal were put to the test as the Punjab Kings were secured at 29-0 after just five overs.
The next batter in the game was Bhanuka Rajapaksa who ended up being dropped twice before obtaining a four and a six for the Punjab Kings at the halfway mark. This move took the Punjab Kings to 72-1 on the scoreboard.
Afterward, Dhawan ignored the pressure from his opponents and managed to bat three fours against Mukesh Choudhary when sixteen runs came out of the 12th over. The Punjab Kings’ champion was able to get to his fifty in the 14th over as Rajapaksa was successful in hitting a six down the ground.
For Shikhar Dhawan, the hundred partnership was up for the pair when Bravo ended it after Rajapaksa was beaten by Shivam Dube in the 18th over.
The 19th over was on the horizon when Liam Livingstone batted two sixes and one four despite his overwhelming competition. However, Livingstone was disregarded in the last over by Bravo after managing to hold on for such a period.
The game came to a historic end when MS Dhoni was caught in the deep, after which the Punjab Kings managed to win by eleven runs. Even though Dhoni was able to hit a six on the first delivery, his efforts were proven to be unsuccessful, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. This has to be one of M.S Dhoni’s biggest defeats yet.
Well, there you have it folks – the full highlight reel from the recent CSK match-up against PBKS. There truly were a ton of incredible plays throughout this game, and it is definitely going to be one to look back on for all of you cricket fanatics out there.
In spite of the fact that the Punjab Kings came out on top, there is still no debating that the Chennai Super Kings gave it their all, and it goes without saying that the shoe could have been on the other foot if CSK decided to get their heads into the game.
We have no doubt that the Chennai Super Kings are going to come back with a vengeance whenever these two legendary teams next meet each other on the pitch – this is not one that you will want to miss. Catch you in the next one.