The Punjab Kings achieved a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the defending IPL champions, the Chennai Super Kings, on Wednesday thanks to key contributions from Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw.
Chasing 163 for victory, the Punjab Kings relied on Bairstow’s 46 and 43 by Rossouw to achieve victory with 13 balls to spare at Chennai’s M Chidambaram Stadium.
England’s Bairstow maintained his performance from the previous match, scoring an unbeaten 108 as Punjab successfully completed the chase against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, setting a new IPL record of 262. Bairstow and Rossouw contributed 64 runs for the second wicket, paving the way for the team’s victory.
Shivam Dube caught Bairstow behind and Shardul Thakur bowled Rossouw, leaving Punjab in a difficult position at 113-3 in 12 overs.
Shashank Singh, who made 25, and captain Sam Curran, who hit 26, then put on an unbeaten stand of 50, enabling the team to secure a fourth win and maintain their slim playoff hopes.
The Chennai team, which has won five and lost five matches, currently occupies fourth place in the 10-team table, led by the Rajasthan Royals.
The pitch in Chennai was not conducive to run-scoring, with the hosts posting 162-7, largely due to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 62. The late evening dew also added to the home team’s difficulties.
The bowlers were instrumental in securing the victory, with spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar taking two wickets each in their economical spells. Both bowlers conceded 33 runs in eight overs combined.
Gaikwad commenced the match with an impressive opening stand of 64 with Ajinkya Rahane. Despite losing wickets, the other end demonstrated composure and resilience, enabling the team to maintain momentum and push the total forward.
Gaikwad has surpassed Virat Kohli of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the leading batsman in the T20 tournament, with 509 runs in 10 innings.
Gaikwad established key partnerships in the middle order with Sameer Rizvi, who scored 21, and Moeen Ali, who made 15, before being dismissed by left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh.
Veteran MS Dhoni received a warm welcome from the home crowd, likely his last in his current role as a player in the IPL. He made 14 runs in 11 balls before being run out on the final ball.