IPL 2023: PBKS beat CSK in final-ball thriller at Chepauk
Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Chennai Super Kings in the 41st encounter of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The Kings successfully chased down 201, completing three runs on the final ball. Matheesha Pathirana couldn't defend nine in the final over. Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Sam Curran fired for PBKS, while Sikandar Raza made PBKS triumphant eventually.
How did the match pan out?
Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad added 86 runs after CSK elected to bat. Conway stitched a 44-run stand with Shivam Dube, taking CSK beyond 130. He continued the onslaught, while Jadeja and Dhoni helped CSK post 200/4. PBKS openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh (42) shared a 50-run stand. Dhoni's spin-to-win powered CSK before Livingstone, Curran, and Jitesh fired. Raza scripted PBKS's win (final ball).
Dhawan completes 6,500 IPL runs
PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan became the second batter to complete 6,500 runs in the IPL. Dhawan needed 13 runs before this game and reached the milestone with a six against Akash Singh in the third over. Unfortunately, he was dismissed for 28 by Tushar Deshpande. Dhawan smashed 4 fours and 1 six during his 15-ball knock (SR: 186.67).
Second-most runs in IPL
Dhawan got off to a decent start, adding a 50-run opening stand alongside Prabhsimran Singh. However, he was dismissed in the fifth over. Dhawan is only behind Virat Kohli (6,957) in terms of runs in the IPL. David Warner, with 6,187 runs, and Rohit Sharma, with 6,060 runs, are the other two batters to score 6,000-plus runs in this tournament.
Conway slams his fifth fifty in six innings
Gaikwad and Conway went on to add 86 runs before the former departed. However, Conway continued his onslaught, completing his half-century in the 12th over (off 30 balls). The New Zealand batter now has five fifties in his last five IPL innings. Overall, it was his eighth IPL half-century. Conway finished with an unbeaten 92 off 52 balls (16 fours, 1 six).
5,000 T20 runs for Conway
During his knock, Conway unlocked another achievement. He became the joint-third-fastest to 5,000 runs in T20 cricket in terms of innings. Conway reached the landmark in his 144th innings and shares the third spot with Shaun Marsh. The duo is only behind Chris Gayle (132) and KL Rahul (143) on the list. Conway now has 41 half-centuries in the format.
Conway races past 400 runs in IPL 2023
Conway became the first CSK batter to score over 400 runs in IPL 2023. Overall, he is the second batter to accomplish this milestone after Royal Challengers Bangalore's Faf du Plessis, the incumbent Orange Cap holder, with 422 runs.
Another 200-plus total from CSK
This was CSK's 27th total of 200-plus in the IPL, the most by a team. RCB follow the Yellow Army with 24 such totals. Notably, these are the only two teams with over 20 200-plus totals in the cash-rich league. It is worth noting that CSK crossed the mark in each of their last four matches where they batted first.
