In game number 18 of the IPL 2019, Chennai crowd has witnessed an enticing game at the Chepauk Stadium. With the pendulum swinging to and fro which subsequently saw hosts having the last laugh. However, the citadel of MS Dhoni has witnessed enough before underpressure Deepak Chahar saw the leg stump off David Miller 6 (5) going cartwheeling. During CSK vs KXIP game, hosts spinners bowled remarkably well, before fast bowlers got themselves into a groove.
The hosts won the game by 22 runs. In response to CSK’s 160, KXIP managed just 138 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs.
Chahar bowled four overs to pick a wicket, as Scott Kuggeleijn managed to pick a prized scalp of KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan 67 (59).
Turning Point:
CSK bowlers had bowled exceedingly well as KXIP’s settled batters. Aso, the visitors’ batsmen tried to take an assault on hosts bowlers at the fag end of an innings on a relatively sluggish surface.
Sarfaraz alongside Rahul has not only brought up their century-run partnership for the third wicket. But the duo went on to record a fifty each to make things tough for visitors.
Rahul returned to the pavilion after scoring 55 off 47 balls. He has forged a 110-run partnership alongside Sarfaraz. At one stage visitors were reeling at two for seven, rest is the history.
Meanwhile, Dhoni has decided against a DRS call when Imran Tahir was sure. However, the replays suggested the ball was crashing into middle stump.
Also, when Dhoni backflipped a ball which struck the stumps but zing bails didn’t come off the groove when Rahul was well out of his crease.
While chasing somewhat a tricky target, KXIP had a miserable start with the bat. The visitors lost explosive batsman Chris Gayle and promising face Mayank Agarwal in first two overs.
Harbhajan Singh bowled his heart out to concede just eight runs in the first spell comprised of two overs. However, he finished off his quota of four overs while giving away 17 runs.
IPL 2019: Here’s the detailed scorecard of KXIP –
IPL 2019: 1st Innings, Chennai Super Kings –
Earlier, Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first without a second thought. Once again, the surface has appeared to be slower as it was visible during the first innings.
While making most of the opportunity, KXIP skipper Ravichandran Ashwin introduced himself early on. Who else knew Chepauk conditions better than Ashwin? Yes, Dhoni of course, but Ashwin has been a local hero and he has delivered according to the expectations.
With Chennai posting competitive 160 in 20 overs, Ashwin has bagged all three wickets while giving away 23 runs in his quota of four overs.
Faf du Plessis, who came at the expense of injured Dwayne Bravo, smashed a fifty in his first game of the IPL 2019 season. The senior campaigner started off the CSK’s innings with Shane Watson. The duo stitched 56-run partnership in 7.2 overs.
The right-handed batsman du Plessis faced 38 balls for his 54 runs. While maintaining his strike-rate of 142.10, du Plessis struck four sixes and two fours during his quickfire knock.
On the other side, Watson struggled to read the pitch to score runs at pace. He managed to score 24-ball 26 with the help of three fours and a six.
However, his innings was cut short when Sam Curran completed a simple catch off the bowling of Ashwin.
The southpaw Suresh Raina faced 20-balls for his 17 before Ashwin cleaned him up on beauty.
With 100 for three in 13.4 overs, MS Dhoni alongside Ambati Rayudu registered 60-run partnership off 38 balls for the fourth wicket.
Also, Dhoni, who’s traditionally a slow-starter, made a strong comeback by smashing 23-ball unbeaten 37. Besides, Rayudu has remained not out on 21 off 15 balls.
IPL 2019: Here’s the detailed scorecard of CSK –
Meanwhile, CSK has won four out of five games, to move at the top of the points table. On the other hand, Punjab is placed fourth on the list with three victories in five matches.
In their next game, KXIP will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 8, whereas, CSK will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 9.