Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Punjab Kings defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 54 runs in a lop-sided encounter at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday. In search of their maiden victory in the season, Ravindra Jadeja-led Chennai got off to a disastrous start by losing four wickets within the powerplay against Punjab Kings. The Yellow Army was tottering at 38 for five after eight overs. Shivam Dube scored a fifty before the defending champions got bundled out for 126.
Punjab Kings also had trouble starting as Mayank Agarwal was dismissed off the second ball of the first innings, and later Rajapaksa could not impress with the bat. Sri Lankan batter returned to pavillion in just second over after adding 9-runs on board. However, Liam Livingstone smashed 60 off 32 balls, while Shikhar Dhawan (33) and Jitesh Sharma (26) chipped in with valuable contributions to help Punjab score 180 for 8 in 20 overs.
While Punjab was looking to cruise to a total of 200, CSK's overseas players Pretorius, Bravo and Jordan chipped in with better economy and picked wickets at regular intervals. All three pacers used variations to good effects, which strangled the opposition batters towards the end. The match brought several moments to cheer and let's take a look at the match's highlights.
Liam Livingstone's all-round performance
Englishman came to rescue when Punjab was struggling at 14-2, but he, along with Shikhar Dhawan, added 98-runs on board to guide the side to a competitive total. Livingstone smashed 60-runs off 32 balls and later picked two crucial wickets in the form of dangerous-looking Shivam Dube and Dwayne Bravo in the second innings. He was rewarded with the Player of the Match award for his all-around performance.
MS Dhoni full-stretched runout:
Former CSK skipper MS Dhoni on Sunday turned back the clock to remind fans of his incredible dismissal in the 2016 Asia Cup during the CSK match against Punjab Kings in the ongoing IPL 2022 season. Veteran wicket-keeper defied age to show great athleticism and lightning reflexes to dismiss dangerous Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the first innings of the game. The moment came in the 2nd over when Rajapaksa pushed the delivery from Chris Jordan towards the bowler's left and took off for a single. However, a horrible mix-up with Dhawan left him stranded at the halfway point on the pitch.
Jordan collected the ball and quickly threw it down to the striker's end while Dhoni ran quickly and made full-length dive, collected the ball and under armed it to the stumps as he was still far from the wickets. The replay showed that Rajapaksa was well outside the crease as PBKS lost their second wicket in six balls.
Debutant Jitesh Sharma's performance
Wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma made his debut game memorable with his all-around performance. First, he smashed valuable 26 off 17 balls in the first innings and then impressed everyone with his incredible effort behind the wicket. The first effort came in the 9th over of the second innings when veteran Ambati Rayudu tried to ramp off Odean Smith's short ball, but the ball kissed Rayudu's gloves and went past the right of the keeper. However, Sharma made full-stretch dive towards his right to pluck an incredible catch to dismiss Ambati Rayudu.
Sharma didn't stop there as he was responsible for Dhoni's crucial wicket as he convinced captain Mayank Agarwal to take the review. The replays showed spikes as the ball passed near the edge of the bat and the wide call by the umpire was converted into a wicket.
CSK losing four wickets in powerplay:
The team lost the first four-wickets within 5.3 overs and stunned everyone with their performance. In response to 180, CSK top-order collapsed and could only add 30 runs on the board. The game saw Ruturaj Gaikwad (1), Robin Uthappa (13), Moeen Ali (0) and skipper Jadeja (0) returning to pavillion within the first six overs. Only Shivam Dube (57) showed some fight for CSK and none of the other players could impress with the bat.