Punjab Kings’ winning streak came to an end on Sunday as they unexpectedly defeated Chennai Super Kings by 28 runs. Following back-to-back victories, PBKS was unable to sustain their momentum and was only able to reach 139/9 in the pursuit of 169/9. Ravindra Jadeja played a great all-around game, taking three significant wickets for CSK in addition to scoring 43 off of 26 balls. Nevertheless, MS Dhoni’s batting debut was disappointing as the CSK player was out for a golden duck.
It was Dhoni’s first time batting at number nine in eighteen years. The slower delivery from Harshal Patel in the 19th over of CSK’s innings definitely caught Dhoni off guard as it dropped quickly and left him dumbfounded. The ball smashed into the off-stump after passing clean through his defense.
The Dharamsala audience was taken aback by Dhoni dismissal, but co-owner of PBKS Preity Zinta was spotted in the grandstand rejoicing. She grinned sweetly and praised Harshal for a terrific wicket.
Regarding the game, clever leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (3/23) and seamer Harshal Patel (3/24) gave a good display, but Jadeja struck a vital 43 off only 26 balls to help CSK to a respectable 167/9 after Sam Curran had sent them in to bat.
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In the pivotal middle-over period, the left-arm spinner came back to take three wickets for twenty in four overs, thereby ending PBKS’s pursuit at 139 for nine.
“I felt like we bowled very well. At the midway mark, Rahul Chahar and Harshal were bowling exceptionally well, but sadly, it wasn’t to be. The pitch was certainly slower than we had anticipated; we had been expecting a bit more bounce and speed. The surface remained very consistent throughout the match. After the game, PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran remarked, “We need to move on and stay headstrong because we have a few days off and we play RCB in a few days.”
In their next IPL 2024 encounter, CSK(Dhoni) will now play the Gujarat Titans on Friday, while PBKS will play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.
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