Punjab Kings survive Ambati Rayudu fightback to defeat Chennai Super Kings

Chasing 187, Rayudu scored 78 runs off 39 balls to drag CSK back into contention after a poor start but was crucially dismissed by Kagiso Rabada in the 18th over. Shikhar Dhawan scored 88 not out for Punjab Kings

Mumbai: Punjab Kings 187-4, Chennai Super Kings 176-6 – Punjab Kings won by 11 runs

Scorecard

Punjab Kings survived an explosive half-century from Ambati Rayudu to defeat Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs.

Chasing 187, the defending champions lost three early wickets – Robin Uthappa (1), Mitchell Santner (9) and Shivam Dube (8) – to slip to 40 for 3.

However, Rayudu, batting at No.5, fought back, putting on 49 runs (33 balls) with Ruturaj Gaikwad before exploding into life alongside Ravindra Jadeja, scoring 46 runs off 20 balls – including dispatching Sandeep Sharma for three consecutive sixes – as part of their 64-run partnership.

^{Ambati Rayudu nearly stole the for CSK}

Unfortunately, Jadeja was struggling at the other end – scoring at a run-a-ball – and when Rayudu was dismissed for 78 (39 balls) by Kagiso Rabada in the 18th over, it left MS Dhoni and CSK needing 35 runs from just 13 balls.

And despite the former captain dispatching a four and a six to get hearts racing, he was dismissed by Rishi Dhawan off the third ball of the 20th over to end CSK’s slim hopes of victory.

Rabada and Arshdeep Singh both impressed with the ball, picking up 2 for 23 and 1 for 23, respectively, while Sharma and Rishi Dhawan were the other wicket-takers.  

Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan, in his 200th IPL appearance, scored an unbeaten knock of 88 off 59 balls, including nine fours and two sixes, to help Punjab Kings to 187 for 4.

The Punjab opener had support from Bhanuka Rajapaksa (42 off 32), with whom he shared a blistering 110-run second-wicket stand off 71 balls, and became just the second player to score 6,000 IPL runs thanks to his impressive half-century.

Santner, who posted figures of 0 for 8 from his two overs, was the only CSK bowler to concede fewer than eight runs per over.