Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) held their nerves as they beat the Chennai Super Kings by four runs in yet another last-over thriller in this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni, with his severe back injury, tried his level best but failed four runs short. The vintage Dhoni was on offer as he scored 79 runs off just 44 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and five towering sixes.
Ambati Rayadu (49) and Ravindra Jadeja (19) also tried their level best and failed as CSK suffered their first loss the season.
However, previously, Punjab banking on Chris Gayle (66) and KL Rahul‘s (37) blistering start to post a huge total of 197. The middle-order also chipped in useful contribution to helping Punjab close in on the 200-run mark.
Moreover, there was nothing much for the bowlers to do in this batting paradise. However, Punjab’s young Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowled some tight overs to contain CSK’s run flow.
Here is the player rating of the Punjab team:
Lokesh Rahul (wk): (6/10)
Rahul continued his purple patch with the bat as he provided a blistering start to Punjab.
He played a secondary role with Gayle as he scored 37 runs off 22 deliveries including four boundaries.
Chris Gayle: (8/10)
The giant-sized Gayle had an absolute blistering start to this year’s IPL. Getting a game after two matches, the southpaw proved his worth.
He scored 63 runs off just 33 balls as KXIP added 96 runs in the first eight overs.
Mayank Agarwal: (6/10)
Agarwal has finally started to find his domestic form back as he played a quickfire 30 runs knock.
His knock helped Punjab put in a massive total against a star-studded Chennai line-up.
Aaron Finch: (0/10)
Finch’s poor run with the bat continues as once again he got out without the troubling the scorers. The right-handed batsman has now scored no runs in two matches.
However, he needs to find his form quickly if he doesn’t want to sit out of the first XI.
Yuvraj Singh: (5/10)
The experienced all-rounder once again failed to convert the start. He had a good platform to create some magic and couldn’t utilise it.
He got out scoring 20 runs off 13 deliveries.
Karun Nair: (5.5/10)
Karun Nair has made it a habit of chipping in with useful contributions in the middle-overs. He makes it look so simple yet score runs quickly.
He contributed 29 runs off 17 deliveries as Punjab inched close to the 200-run mark.
Ravichandran Ashwin (c): (7/10)
Since taking on the captaincy, Ashwin has started contributing in all the departments. He is scoring runs at the lower end as well as doing his usual job of picking wickets.
He scored 14 useful runs before returning with 1 for 32 in his four overs.
Andrew Tye: (5/10)
Although he picked two wickets, the fast bowler from Australia went for 47 runs.
However, it was a run fest as almost 400 were scored in the 40 overs. Tye will look to improve his performance and hit back in the next game.
Barinder Sran: (5.5/10)
The left-arm fast bowler had nothing to do in a batting paradise. Sran gave 37 runs in his four overs as CSK closed in on the target.
However, the pacer will be keen to improve his statistics.
Mohit Sharma: (6.5/10)
Sharma was equally expensive as Tye, however, claimed only one wicket.
However, he bowled an excellent last over to defend 17 runs and cruise his team to victory.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: (7/10)
The young mystery bowler has continued his job silently with the ball. In a flat deck like Mohali, he gave away only 18 runs from his three overs against a star-studded batting unit.
Meanwhile, this experience will do the 17-year-old Mujeeb a world of good.
Further, here is the newsfeed:
The way Sanju batted was incredible – Ajinkya Rahane
Too Early to make drastic changes – Virat Kohli