Chennai Super Kings (CSK) crushed Punjab Kings (PBKS) to register their first victory of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in another low-scoring affair, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. CSK mowed down a paltry target of 107 set by PBKS with 4.2 overs to spare.
A brilliant spell from Deepak Chahar (4-1-13-4) restricted Punjab Kings to 106/8. They lost three of their top-order batters for single-digit scores, while their first five aggregated just 20 runs between them. Faf du Plessis (36 off 33) and Moeen Ali (46 off 31) then took the sting out of the contest by adding 66 runs for the second wicket for Chennai.
Caesar famously summed up his military triumph over the King of Pontus with utmost eloquence and brevity: ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’. Something similar was supposed to transpire for the PBKS batters in the Powerplay. Instead, the spoils of the war went to Chahar, who was also adjudged Player of the Match.
His deceiving spirits triggered a downfall of immense proportion, as a power-packed Punjab batting unit collapsed like a deck of cards. It started with Mayank Agarwal, who missed a good-length delivery that just swung away enough to miss him and crash into the stumps.
Chahar almost got Chris Gayle (10 in 10 balls) next ball, but Ruturaj Gaikwad, positioned at the backward point, squandered away an easy opportunity. It did not matter. Chahar lured Gayle with a full-ish delivery way outside the off in the fifth over. Gayle went for an expansive drive but was deceived by a change of pace. Ravindra Jadeja stretched every sinew of his muscles to complete a stunning catch.
Nicholas Pooran, for the second time in a row, walked back to the dugout without influencing the scoreboard. By the end of the Powerplay, Punjab Kings lost four batters for just 26 runs. MS Dhoni then brought Chahar into the attack for one last time and the latter got his fourth wicket by dismissing Deepak Hooda.
Thereafter, the innings followed on a sluggish note except for a brief disruption from Shahrukh Khan, who at least ensured a three-digit total for Punjab. Shahrukh made 47 in 36 balls with the help of four fours and two sixes. Dwayne Bravo, Moeen and Sam Curran picked up a wicket apiece for CSK.
After a series of low-scoring thrillers, it looked like another was on the cards when Mohammed Shami kept flummoxing Gaikwad and du Plessis with sharp bowling. However, both openers managed to survive his spell before du Plessis smashed two fours and a six off Jhye Richardson’s second over.
Gaikwad, though, was unable to get into the groove. His struggle came to an end in the fifth over, while trying to break free after amassing just five runs in fifteen balls. Moeen started with a couple of boundaries in Riley Meredith’s first over of the night.
The hope and promises that Meredith, along with his compatriot Richardson, brought for the franchise have not quite translated on the field. Although they did not have a total to defend tonight, the incisiveness and precision with which they operate in other league have lacked in this tournament.
Shami got his reward when he came on to bowl his last. He found himself on the cusp of a hat-trick after getting the better of Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu with two short-pitched balls. But these were inconsequential, as PBKS had already lost its grip over the match. In the next over, Curran got the winning boundary as CSK cruised past the target with 26 balls to spare.
Brief Scores:
Punjab Kings 106/8 in 20 overs (Shahrukh Khan 47; Deepak Chahar 4-13) lost to Chennai Super Kings 107/4 in 15.4 overs (Moeen Ali 46; Mohammed Shami 2-21) by 6 wickets with 26 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Deepak Chahar.