IPL 2024: CSK bounce back, thrash PBKS in Dharamsala
Chennai Super Kings bounced back in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season with a win against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala. The Super Kings successfully defended 167/9, with Ravindra Jadeja taking three wickets. He earlier scored a valuable 43(26). For PBKS, Rahul Chahar and Harshal Patel starred with three-fers. With a one-sided win, CSK avenged their Chepauk defeat that came against PBKS.
CSK reach 167/9 despite faltering
CSK lost Ajinkya Rahane early on after losing the toss. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell helped CSK gain impetus with a 57-run stand. However, they slumped from 69/1 to 101/5, with Shivam Dube recording another golden duck. Jadeja and Shardul Thakur propelled CSK to 167/9. MS Dhoni, who came in at number nine, got a golden duck. Chahar and Harshal took three wickets each.
PBKS managed 139/9 in 20 overs
Pacer Tushar Deshpand gave PBKS two early blows in the form of Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw (9/2). While Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh upped the scoring rate (62/2), Jadeja and Mitchell Santner dismissed them in quick succession. Simarjeet Singh and Jadeja then mowed down PBKS's batting line-up, reducing them to 90/8. Kagiso Rabada and Harpreet Brar showed fight, but PBKS managed 139/9 (20).
CSK finally break deadlock against PBKS
CSK have finally broken the deadlock against PBKS in the IPL. Before this encounter, the Super Kings had lost five successive matches to PBKS. At Chepauk, PBKS recorded the joint-most consecutive victories against CSK in the IPL (5) with Mumbai Indians. Before the Dharamsala match, CSK last beat PBKS in April 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. They won by six wickets.
How Chahar and Harshal troubled CSK
As mentioned, Rahane departed early (12/1) after PBKS elected to field. However, Gaikwad added 57 runs with Mitchell. Leg-spinner Chahar sent back the CSK captain in the eighth over. He dismissed the dangerous Dube on the very next ball. Mitchell fell to Harshal thereafter, with Chahar dismissing Mitchell Santner. Harshal removed Thakur and Dhoni on successive balls.
Six wickets between Chahar and Harshal
It is worth noting that Chahar and Harshal shared six wickets for 47 runs from eight overs at an economy rate of 5.87. Meanwhile, all other bowlers conceded 119 runs, taking three wickets from 12 overs (ER: 9.91).
Key numbers for Chahar, Harshal
Harshal knocked Dhoni over on the very first ball in the 19th over. Notably, Harshal has now dismissed Dhoni thrice in the IPL. The CSK batter has managed a strike rate of 75.75 in this battle. Meanwhile, Chahar now has 15 wickets from 13 matches against CSK in the IPL. Chahar averages 20.06 and has an economy rate of 6.14 against this side.
Dhoni at number nine!
In the first innings, Santner and Thakur came in to bat before Dhoni to counter spin. As per Cricbuzz, it was the first instance of Dhoni batting at number nine or lower in T20 cricket.
Jadeja smashes a 26-ball 43
As mentioned, CSK were down to 101/5 in the first innings. Jadeja firmly held his end despite losing batting partners. He smashed some pivotal boundaries toward the end. The southpaw scored a 26-ball 43 (3 fours and 2 sixes). Jadeja has now raced to 2,894 runs from 237 IPL encounters at an average of 27.30. The tally includes three half-centuries.
Jadeja takes three-fer, races to 160 IPL wickets
In the second innings, an incredible middle-over spell of Jadeja turned the match in CSK's favor. While Deshpande uprooted Bairstow and Rossouw early on (9/2), Prabhsimran and Shashank added 53 runs. Jadeja then dismissed Prabhsimran, Sam Curran, and Ashutosh Sharma, reducing PBKS to 78/7. The CSK spinner conceded 20 runs in four overs. Jadeja now owns 160 IPL wickets at 29.81.
Jadeja at it again!
Jadeja was eventually adjudged the Player of the Match. As per Cricket Statistician Rajneesh Gupta, this is the fifth instance of a CSK player scoring 30+ runs and taking three-plus wickets in an IPL match. Notably, Jadeja did this on all five occasions.
IPL 2024: CSK enter top three again
With this win, CSK have re-entered the top three, getting past Lucknow Super Giants. The Super Kings have 12 points with a Net Run Rate of +0.700. Meanwhile, PBKS are eighth with eight points (NNR: -0.187). They have four wins and seven defeats.
