IPL 2024: Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings, 55th Match – Who Said What?

Chennai Super Kings. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

Against a formidable batting lineup of Chennai Super Kings, it needed an on-point display of bowling, which is exactly what Punjab Kings produced in the match no 55 of the Indian Premier League 2024. On Sunday, May 05, the stage was set for the first game at the serene HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala for a mouthwatering encounter. Despite restricting CSK to 167/9 in the first innings, PBKS weren’t able to fight back with the bat for a seemingly gettable target.

With a thumping victory under their belt, the franchise went up on the table, bolstering their conditions for qualifying for the Playoffs. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side came on top against Sam Curran’s men, eventually clinching a 28-run victory. None of the PBKS batters were able to step up to the occasion, costing them a crucial two points at the end.

Also Check: IPL Points Table 2024 | IPL Standings & Team Rankings

Talking Points

1. New & Improved Tushar Deshpande

In 2023, the pacer from Mumbai had success with a lot of wickets under his kitty, 21 to be precise. However, the bowler was critiqued heavily for leaking a lot of runs, at an economy close to 10. However, this season has been a different story for the right-arm fast. Deshpande picked a couple of wickets in his first spell, rattling the stumps of Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw, both the wickets coming of absolute pearlers. The speedster’s bowling in the powerplay brought CSK in the game instantly during the second innings.

2. Patel’s purple patch overshadows Chahar’s spin tale

In the first innings, CSK managed to get 60 runs in the powerplay, despite losing opener Ajinkya Rahane cheaply. Then, Rahul Chahar came in to bowl some leg-spin and took no time to mark an impact. Chahar’s first two balls enforced the departure of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube. Later in the evening, the leggie also sent Mitchell Santner packing, finishing his four-over run with 4-0-23-3.

Ravindra Jadeja, who had given Harshal Patel (4-0-24-3) one of his worst nightmares, was batting when Patel came in as the last bowling change. However, the pacer didn’t give Jadeja much time to free his arms. As a result, Jadeja remained stranded at one end, as Patel sent back the well-set Daryl Mitchell. In the penultimate over, the right-armer breathed fire, getting two crucial wickets including the one of MS Dhoni (0 off 1), sending the crowd favourite back for a golden duck.

3. Super Kings superiorise over Kings

With an all-round bowling show at Dharamsala, CSK bowlers made 168 a difficult target to reach for Punjab. The PBKS batters never looked settled at the crease, as losing Bairstow and Rossouw early didn’t give them a chance to recover. Jadeja (4-0-23-3), after useful contribution with the bat, was at his all-round best, picking three wickets as well. Impact Substitute Simarjeet Singh also made the most out of his chance, scalping a couple. Santner, too was impressive, keeping the economy under check. Shardul Thakur also picked a wicket, after being introduced at last.

Who Said What?

Losing skipper, Sam Curran said:

I thought we bowled really well as a group. Rahul Chahar bowled really well, and the way Harshal Patel finished off. We were happy as a group at the half-way stage but unfortunately, it was not meant to be. We thought it (the pitch) was going to be slightly quicker, have more bounce. It was a bit slower but it was similar throughout the game. We have a couple of days off and then we play against RCB. We have to move on and keep fighting hard.

Winning skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad said:

Everyone believed the wicket was slow. Even low bounce. Just that the start we got, we were thinking of pushing till 180-200. After losing wickets, thought 160-170 was a good score. Don’t know what he’s doing, but even in pre season he was clicking 150kph (on Simarjeet). He didn’t get too much chances, but it’s never too late. Were thinking of going with impact batter, but then we thought the batter will give 10-15 runs, but he could give 2-3 wickets. Some of the guys were struggling with flu. Weren’t even sure till the morning who’s playing or not. To get the win, really happy with that.

Player of the Match, Ravindra Jadeja said:

Was a day game so the wicket was slow. It was expected to be slow because it was quite warm. Wanted to build a partnership of 30-40 so that we have a platform for the end. The bowlers bowled well. Always looks a flat wicket in powerplay. But as the ball gets older, it doesn’t come on very well. When you’re playing at a new venue, you don’t have an idea of how the pitch will be. Felt we were 15-20 short. My role is to build a partnership if we lose early wickets.