IPL 2023: Devon Conway guides CSK to 200/4 against PBKS
Star opener Devon Conway drove Chennai Super Kings 200/4 against Punjab Kings in the 41st match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Impactful knocks from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube also fueled CSK's innings. Skipper MS Dhoni too swung his bat eventually. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran, Rahul Chahar, and Sikandar Raza took a wicket each.
Another positive start for CSK
Once again, CSK were off to a flying start after Dhoni elects to bat. Gaikwad and Conway took the bowlers to the cleaners right from the start. Arshdeep was smashed for 13 runs in his second over. Leg-spinner Chahar was introduced in the fifth over itself to keep the CSK batters at bay. The Super Kings were 57/0 after six overs (Powerplay).
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 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.
