Super Sunday was fortunate enough to witness two high scoring thrillers where the side defending their scores ended up on the winning side, as opposed to the usual pattern in the tournament.
In the end, it was two special innings from two veterans of the game which stood out for both KXIP and CSK. MS Dhoni and Chris Gayle batted like champions, bringing back the years of their prime.
Unfortunately, MSD’s brilliance fell short of the power of Chris Gayle as the visitors fell short of the required target by just four runs. Here’s a look at the four game-changing events in the match
The Universe Boss strikes
After going unsold for the second time in IPL, Chris Gayle was bought by Sehwag on the second day of the auctions. Gayle was then made to sit out in the opening two games of the tournament to accommodate Marcus Stoinis.
The Jamaican powerhouse announced himself this season of IPL with his 33-ball 63. Gayle smashed everything in sight with the new ball, as he clinched seven boundaries and four gigantic sixes.
Fiercesome start from hosts
Until the 12th over, KXIP were cruising at 127 for the loss of just one wicket. KL Rahul continued with his hitting form with his 22-ball 37. Besides Gayle force, Mayank Agarwal too chipped in to show his domestic form with his 19-ball 30.
The hosts were looking at a score of above 220 with the kind of start provided by former RCB stars.
CSK crawling their way back
Looking at the projected score, one might have thought that CSK had their task cut out chasing a score above 210. However, Shardul Thakur, Dwayne Bravo and Imran Tahir restricted the hosts to a total of 200 with the help of their bowling efforts.
As a result, CSK, with their record in the tournament thus far, and looking at the batsmen’s paradise on offer, might have taken 197 with both hands.
Early strikes from hosts
MSD’s men could repeat their powerplay onslaught against Kolkata Knight Riders and lost three key wickets up front. This made the high scoring run chase a lot difficult as the likes of Watson, Vijay and Billings could not score at the required run rate consistently.
Mohit Sharma took it upon himself to curtail Watson’s knock short while Andrew Tye dismissed comeback man Murali Vijay.
MS Dhoni- the beast
Photo by: Deepak Malik / IPL/ SPORTZPICS
With a broken back, limping for singles, MS Dhoni, on his own took his side within the range of an improbable yet spectacular victory for CSK. MSD, turned the match around it head with his unbeaten knock of 79 which came off just 44 deliveries.
The innings was a trademark Dhoni special as he baffled many with his tactics while on a run-a-ball 25. In the end, KXIP had no answer to MSD as he smashed six boundaries and five towering hits into the stands.
Unfortunately, MS ended up on the losing side as they fell heartbreakingly close to the target as KXIP won by a mere four runs.
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