Riding on a majestic century from Priyansh Arya and a half-century from Shashank Singh, Punjab Kings (PBKS) posted a total of 219 after being cornered at 83/5. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started well but lost their way in the middle overs once again, eventually scoring 201 and losing the game by 18 runs. This was CSK’s fourth consecutive loss and PBKS’ third win.
The first six overs of the match were nothing short of theatre. Runs, wickets, dropped catches, extras—it had everything. Priyansh struck a six off the first delivery and was dropped on the very next ball. It was a tough chance, but still a chance that went down. An animated 17-run first over was followed by a seven-run over by Mukesh Choudhary, which included a wicket.
Shreyas Iyer smashed a six, and a ball later, Khaleel took his revenge by getting through the gap between bat and pad to uproot the stumps. In his third over, Khaleel dismissed Marcus Stoinis to leave PBKS at 54/3. The continuous fall of wickets didn’t have an impact on Priyansh, who kept taking risks and finding boundaries.
Along with Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh scored 21 runs off Ravichandran Ashwin’s first over to end the Powerplay at 75/3. He completed a 19-ball fifty with a six off the last delivery of the Powerplay.
Ashwin made a comeback in the next over with a couple of wickets, removing Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell. Shashank came in and, like the other batters, took the CSK bowlers apart with his hitting. Such was the ball-striking that even CSK’s best bowler, Noor Ahmad, wasn’t spared.
Mukesh dropped Priyansh in the 12th over, giving him another opportunity. In his next five balls, he punished CSK by smashing three sixes and a four to complete his century. The left-hand batter eventually ran out of luck, giving Noor his first wicket of the night. Shashank and Marco Jansen’s 65-run partnership powered PBKS to a total of 219. Four dropped catches hurt CSK, as their fielding once again let them down.
Unlike their previous three matches, CSK got off to a solid start, putting up 61 runs for the opening wicket. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra batted fluently during the Powerplay, ensuring the team had a strong foundation. However, the momentum shifted shortly after the Powerplay as CSK lost two quick wickets—Glenn Maxwell removed Rachin, while Lockie Ferguson dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad. Those setbacks pushed up the required run rate.
Conway and Shivam Dube then stitched together an 89-run stand, but their slow pace meant the pressure kept mounting. Conway, despite his efforts, struggled to find the boundary, forcing Dube to take on the high-risk shots. Ferguson eventually broke the partnership by removing Dube for a well-made 42 in the 16th over, swinging the momentum back in PBKS’s favor. Conway continued to battle with his timing, even against Yuzvendra Chahal, who bowled just one over and historically hasn’t troubled left-handers much.
Unable to up the tempo, Conway opted to retire out, but by the time the next batter arrived, the required run rate had escalated beyond reach.
MS Dhoni walked in at No. 5 and briefly reignited hopes with a brisk 27 off 12 balls. However, with 28 runs needed, Yash Thakur dismissed Dhoni off the first ball of the final over, sealing the game in PBKS’s favour and dashing CSK’s chances of a comeback.