Chennai, Apr 30 (UNI) Five time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were knocked out of IPL, as Punjab Kings (PBKS), thanks to half centuries by skipper Shreyas Iyer and opener Prabhsimran
Singh, scored a thumping win by four wickets with two ball to spare at the Chepauk stadium here
on Wednesday night.
After bowling out CSK for 190, which was largely due to a four wicket haul, including a second
hat-trick by spinner Yuzuvendra Chahal in the 19th over, PBKS crossed the finishing line with consummate ease despite losing three wickets in the death overs.
Openers Priyansh Arya (23, 15 balls, 5x4) and Prabhsimran gave a solid start with a 44-run stand
in 4.4 overs with some fluent power hitting.
Then Prabhsimran (54, 36 balls, 5x4, 3x6) and Shreyas Iyer took the game away from CSK, with a blazing 72-run stand for the second wicket in 8.2 overs, carting the home bowlers to all parts of the ground with a flurry of boundaries. A couple of dropped catches by CSK also compounded their woes.
The exit of Prabhsimran and No.4 Nehal Wadhera (5) in quick succession did not alter the course of the chase as Shreyas Iyer came up with a scintillating knock (72, 41 balls, 5x4, 4x6), picking up 20 runs in the 17th over of Sri Lankan slinger Matheehsa Pathirana which doused the hopes of the home team.
The exit of Shreyas, with just three runs remaining after Shashank Singh's brief cameo (23, 12 balls, 1x4, 1x6) came too late as CSK lost their eighth match and crashed out of this lucrative league as the visitors won with two balls to spare overhauling the target scoring 194 for six for its sixth win.
Three wickets in three overs raised a glimmer of hope, but the CSK's chennai fortress was breached once again, losing its sixth home match, while hoping for some face saving win in their remaining contests to avoid finishing as wooden spoonists.
While PBKS jumped to the second spot in the points table (13 pts), CSK's fortunes continued to plummet as they definitely fell short by 10-15 runs, with Chahal doing the damage in the death
overs.
Earlier, asked to bat first CSK were well set for a score of 200, despite losing three wickets in the power play. Sam Curran's first half century this edition (88, 47 balls, 9x4, 4x6) and Dewald Brevis
(32, 26 balls, 2x4, 1x6), revived the innings with a fourth wicket stand setting the stage for a big total.
Curran was also associated in a key stand for the fifth wicket, before four wickets in the 19th over by Chahal, turned the tide in favour of the visitors, as the home team lost six wickets for 18 runs in ten balls.
(ED : PICK UP SUITABLY FROM EARLIER SERIES).
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