CSK vs PBKS

The contest scheduled for tomorrow has a similar plot. Mumbai Indians are eyeing are aiming the apex spot, while Rajasthan Royals's hopes are hanging by a thread. There are plenty of subplots too. We would see the likes of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav go up against the searing pace of Jofra Archer. We might also see the 14-year old star face-off with Jasprit Bumrah. Don't forget other stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult etc. It promises to be a cracker. Do join us for it. Our coverage will begin at 6:30 PM IST. For now, it is the pair of Darpan and Pradeep signing off. Sayonara!

With this comprehensive win, Punjab Kings have quashed the little glimmer of hope that the CSK fans were holding onto. The five-time champions are the first team to be knocked out of the race to the playoffs. They will now use the remaining games to, perhaps, test out some combinations for the next season (if they weren't already doing so.) Meanwhile, Punjab Kings inch closer to a booking a berth in the final four. Remember, the last time they made it there was a decade ago. From here on, they can even aim to finish in the top two. 

Shreyas Iyer is the Player of the Match. He says, "I love chasing. I feel that I thrive whenever there is a big total on the board. You need to take charge and build the momentum. It is trying to take your chances. I am enjoying, staying in the present. Don't want to curse it. I just try to react to the ball. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. To be honest, lately, I have been batting a lot in the nets against the new ball. This is one part I have been worked on. The attitude is something that I keep... high. More than the batting, fielding in the heat was tough. We had to maintain the over rate. I had to run from long-on to long-on. We had a chat in between. Ricky said, 'Don't leave it till the last'. They has some good death bowlers. The approach was to try and take the bowling on. I played 10 balls, then thought now it is the time to take it on. Prabhsimran and Priyansh have given us good starts. When they charge at the bowlers, it is calculated. It is not mindless slogging. (About being no.2 on the points table) We are just letting things happen."

Prabhsimran Singh [Punjab Kings]: "Nothing like that, we bat well together in partnerships. We knew that the wicket was on the slower side, when he got out, I had to be responsible, but he's playing well. We knew we were going to open and came to know from the camp. I wasn't thinking much, with Iyer on the other side, if I had slowed down, he would hit and it was vice versa. My role is to take on the bowlers, doesn't matter how much I score, even if I get the team off to a brisk start, I try to do that. I want to give the credit to the team management, the captain and the coach. They speak to the players whenever they struggle. First we want to qualify and lift the trophy later."

MS Dhoni [Chennai Super Kings captain]: "The batting the first time, we put runs on the board. Was it a par score? we could've slightly got more, that partnership between Brevis and Sam was excellent. But, we need to take catches, that slows down the momentum, but other than that we were good. We lost wickets in heap, four deliveries we didn't play and in close games like this, it matters. Sam is a fighter, whenever he turns up, whether it's with the bat or ball, he always does it for us. Wicket was really good, we needed another 15 runs. The momentum in the middle order, Brevis is a good fielder, he can hit the good ball to boundaries, and the energy he brings in the field. Very happy with the way he's been playing, he can be an asset going forward."

11:25 PM IST | Punjab Kings win by 4 wickets with 2 balls to spare.

Shreyas Iyer 72 (41) | Yuzvendra Chahal 4/32 (3)
Sam Curran 88 (47) | Khaleel Ahmed 2/28 (3.4)

Just when you thought that the game was done and dusted, in the final few moments, Punjab Kings stuttered. They teased giving a glimpse of the PBKS of old and almost took it too close. But in the end, with a couple of balls to spare, they cross the finish line. With this, they go up to the second spot on the points table.

Overall though, it does feel like a comprehensive victory. After all, that is how well Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh set it up. Following the early dismissal of Priyansh Arya, the duo got together, took a while to get their eye in and eventually exploded with panache. Those who have watched Prabhsimran bat over the years would even tell you that he wasn't anywhere near his fluent best. But good players pull through even on days like this. That is exactly what the youngster did. On the other end, skipper Shreyas put on a riveting show of batsmanship. His ball-striking was flamboyant and shot-making effective. Had he not missed that straight one from Pathirana, the game might have been over a bit earlier.

Something similar happened to CSK too at the fag end of the first innings. When you look at the "over by over progression", you will find that CSK were in the lead until the 16th over. However, they went from 172/4 in 17.3 overs to 190 all out in 19.2. Yes, the situation demanded them to try and swing everything out of the park. However, the execution was nightmarish. Amidst the chaos, Yuzvendra Chahal, who had been held back for the death overs tonight, picked up his second hat-trick in the IPL.

With this loss, CSK have been officially eliminated now. Though, they have a few positives to take from this match that they will look to build upon to forge a stronger unit for the next season. Sam Curran's impressive knock is at the fore of those. His innings had the perfect amalgam of intent and caution. When he brought out the big shot, he did so whole-heartedly. Otherwise, he was clever in putting the ball into the gaps and hustling across for runs between the wickets. The conditions were hot and humid. By the end of the knock, his shirt was drenched in sweat. But that did not deter his spirit or focus. He first had a 78-run partnership with Brevis, where the South African played was the perfect foil and then a 48-run stand with Dube, where Curran almost singlehandedly did all the scoring. In hindsight, his wicket probably helped Punjab pull the opposition back by a good 20 runs.

For PBKS, the number of wides bowled by their bowlers is certainly something to look at. Also, Suryansh Shedge's poor returns with the ball might make them opt for an extra bowler in the upcoming games.

19.4 Khaleel Ahmed to Marco Jansen, AND THAT IS THAT! FOUR! PUNJAB OUTCLASS CSK! Punjab Kings cruised to a commanding victory over Chennai Super Kings, led by a composed captain’s knock from Shreyas Iyer — a result that now leaves CSK teetering on the brink of elimination from this season's IPL. Jansen nearly drags it back on. Back of a length on fourth stump, Jansen has a wild swipe, but gets an inside edge past the off-stump and beats Dhoni to his left and finds the ropes.

19.3 Khaleel Ahmed to Marco Jansen, ANOTHER DOT! This is getting interesting now. Short of a length, just outside the off-stump. Jansen looking to steer it to deep backward point, but finds Jadeja at backward point.