CSK vs PBKS IPL 2023

Punjab beat MS Dhoni and Co by four wickets in a last-ball thriller

CSK vs PBKS, IPL 2023 A fifth win for Punjab in eight games this season.

Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings: Sikandar Raza shouldered Punjab Kings to 201 in a final-ball thriller against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk in their Indian Premier League game on Sunday

Riding on Devon Conway’s unbeaten 92 and his 86-run opening wicket stand with Ruturaj Gaikwad (37) helped Chennai Super Kings give a perfect start. Dhoni promoted Shivam Dube to number three and he added 44 runs for the second wicket alongside Conway. Once Dube departed, CSK sent two more left-handers to bat but they couldn’t do well. Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja failed to deliver and Conway too, slowed down after flying past his fifty.

Conway struggled after crossing his 80s and was unbeaten on 92 off 52 balls, while MS Dhoni’s sixes brought the momentum back and CSK finished at 200/4 in their allotted 20 overs.

Sandip G: It was Sikandar Raza’s moment under the glittering IPL skies. The only player from Zimbabwe in this league, the all-rounder’s acquisition was ridiculed. His continued selection in the playing eleven questioned. But here he was, holding his nerves and scraping Punjab Kings to a last-ball thriller for ages. He did not do it the flamboyant way. His team required seven of the last four balls of the game. He missed the first, inside-edged the next ball for a couple to deep midwicket, and mistimed another double to square. Three required of the last ball, he hung back anticipating a short ball from Matheesha Pathirana. A short of length cutter it turned out to be and Raza threw the proverbial kitchen sink at it. He could not get ample wood onto the short-ball, but found the perfect placement as the ball dribbled into the space between deep fine leg and deep midwicket. Raza and his partner Shahrukh Khan ran the run of their lives to complete the three. Raza once aspired to become a fighter jet pilot. And like a jet plane he jetted off to the embrace of his onrushing teammates.

MS Dhoni: We need to be prepared as to what is to be done. The last few overs when we were batting, we could have gotten 10-15 more. Our bowling needed some cushion. The slower one did grip. Our batters have been putting runs consistently. If I take those one or two bad overs. We know the conditions well. We didnt bowl well. You didnt want to get hit to that side. You need to see what is the problem. The execution or the plan. Pathirana bowled really. The first six overs we can do better. What lines to bowl.

Theekshana in for his last over. Sam Curran tries to go down the ground again, this time off a delivery in the slog, miscues it again and falls safe. Again. The next one is in the arc as well and Curran squeezes it through covers for four. His first of the game and one much needed by Punjab at this stage. The last ball whizzes between Curran’s bat and pad to almost affect the stumps. MS Dhoni with the ‘oh yeah’ from behind the stumps.