Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source : BCCI/IPL)
PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan was delighted with his team’s thrilling last-ball victory over Chennai Super Kings in Match 41 of IPL 2023 on Sunday, April 30. On a bright sunny afternoon at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, CSK captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision was vindicated by his side as they posted a massive 200/4 in the first innings, courtesy of a brilliant 92* run knock by Devon Conway.
In reply, PBKS managed to chase down the massive target on the last ball of the match as the entire batting unit chipped in with brilliant cameos. Following his side’s thrilling victory, Dhawan said that beating CSK in Chennai was a big thing and credited his team for bouncing back after a 56-run hammering against Lucknow Super Giants in the last game.
“It feels very special, beating Chennai in Chennai is a big thing, very happy with the team. It shows great character to bounce back from that loss and coming up with a positive mindset, all credit goes to the team and the support staff,” Dhawan said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
The southpaw further expressed his delight at the performance of his bowlers. He also lauded Liam Livingstone and said that he wanted to see him play more overs during their chase.
“I was very happy with the way the bowlers bowled. I thought the wicket was too dry but it had the bounce to support. They have been very very consistent, and I wanted them to play more overs. Liam has got his touch back and you would want him to bat as much as possible, everyone is performing well,” Dhawan added.
After 15 overs, PBKS were 129/3 and needed 82 runs off the last five overs with Liam Livingstone (22* off 19) and Sam Curran (19* off 15) at the crease. In the 16th over bowled by Tushar Deshpande, Livingstone launched an onslaught and smashed three sixes and a four in the first four balls of the over before finally getting out on the fifth ball after scoring 40 off 24 balls.
Sikandar Raza ran three runs on the final ball to seal the win for PBKS
The 24-run over tilted the balance in Punjab’s favour and from there on, Sam Curran (29 off 20), Jitesh Sharma (21 off 10) and Sikandar Raza (13* off 7) played useful cameos to guide PBKS to their fifth victory of the season.
Punjab required nine runs off the last over which was bowled by Matheesha Pathirana. The Sri Lankan seamer only gave six runs off the first five balls, one of which was a leg-bye. With three needed off the final ball of the match, Raza cleverly guided the ball to the empty space at deep backward square leg and ran his heart out along with Shahrukh Khan to complete three runs, helping his side execute the highest successful run chase against CSK at Chepauk.