Chennai Super Kings are back and how!
The three-time champions ended their three-match losing streak with a massive 10-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League on Sunday, 4 October.
After restricting KXIP to 178/4 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the MS Dhoni-led side reached their target in 17.4 overs courtesy a record-breaking unbeaten opening stand by Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis.
This is the second highest target a team has managed to chased down without losing a wicket. It is also only the second time that CSK have managed to win a match by 10 wickets.
The win took CSK to four points from five matches and to the sixth position in the standings.
Here’s a look at five players who helped Chennai Super Kings register their second win in this IPL.
1. Shardul Thakur
KXIP captain KL Rahul along with Nicholas Pooran stitched a 58-run partnership for the third wicket, and had started accelerating the innings, when Shardul Thakur took two wickets in two balls to help CSK pull things back.
Thakur dismissed Pooran and Rahul on the first two deliveries of the 18th over to reduce KXIP to 152/4. Pooran was caught out in the deep by Jadeja for 33 (off 17 balls) which included three sixes and a four. Rahul on the other hand was Dhoni’s 100th catch as wicketkeeper in the IPL, and fell for a 52-ball 63, which featured seven boundaries and a six.
2. Dwayne Bravo
Besides Shardul, the other bowler who helped restrict KXIP’s total was Dwayne Bravo. The West Indies spinner returned with figures of 0/38 but bowled two crucial overs in the death. Bravo leaked 11 runs each in the 17th and 19th over despite two big-hitting batsmen – Sarfaraz Khan and Glenn Maxwell – being at the crease.
In fact, so far in this season, CSK boast of having the best bowling numbers in the death. The bowlers have conceded the least number sixes (6), picked up the most wickets (11) and registered the best economy rates and average, in the last four overs of their matches so far.
3. Shane Watson
After he scored 4, 33, 14 and 1 in CSK’s first four games, there had been a lot of chatter around whether the franchise ought to drop Shane Watson.
However, CSK backed him, and the Aussie cricketer repaid their faith with a 53-ball 83* on Sunday.
The 39-year-old crossed the 50-run mark – his 20th IPL half-century and first this season – off 31 deliveries. His knock included three sixes and 11 boundaries.
4. Faf du Plessis
Giving Watson company at the other end of the crease was CSK’s most consistent batsman this season, Faf du Plessis.
The South African batsman scored his third half-century of this season off 33 deliveries. He remained unbeaten on 87 (off 53 balls) as the opening duo stitched a 181-run stand – the highest partnership for CSK in the IPL and for any team against KXIP.
5. MS Dhoni
Last, but definitely not the least, was captain MS Dhoni who backed his players despite the team’s dismal performance in the league so far.
In the interview after toss, Dhoni said, “We are playing with the same team, happy with the same combination. The side looks balanced and it looks good. We are the most experienced team when it comes to chasing. The morale is high, that's a good thing.”
Post the win, the skipper said that consistency in selection is something that the franchise banks on. “I feel, Fleming often doesn’t get the kind of recognition that he should. If the coach and captain are going in different directions, there can be confusion. The good thing is that we decide everything between us, and it stays inside the room. It’s not like we don’t have debates on selections and positions, but it’s something that stays between the both of us and is a relationship we’ve shared for a very long time,” said Dhoni.
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