Chennai, April 30 (IANS) Devon Conway’s sublime innings of unbeaten 92 off 52, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 37 off 31 and MS Dhoni’s consecutive sixes off the last two balls powered Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to 200/4 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match here at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
After Conway and Gaikwad provided a good start and stitched an 86-run opening partnership, Shivam Dube played a fine cameo 28 off 17, Then, Dhoni played with his vintage style as he finished the innings with two back-to-back sixes.
Batting first, CSK got off to a good start as the opening combination of Gaikwad and Conway raised 57/0 in the Power-play with their fine shot selections. After a couple of quiet overs, the duo brisked up the pace of the innings with timely hits.
When PBKS were in desperate need of a wicket, Sikander Raza provided a much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Gaikwad for 37 in the 10 over, ending an 86-run opening partnership and CSK were 90/1 halfway through the innings.
Soon Conway completed his 5th fifty of the season off 31 balls with a boundary through a reverse sweep. Then, Dube smashed Kagiso Rabada for a maximum on a shot ball.
When the duo was taking the bowlers to cleaners, Arshdeep Singh brought Dube’s quick-fire cameo to an end in the 14th over, trapping him in the slower ball. Dube looked to loft it but got the toe end of the bat. It went up in the air toward long on where Shahrukh Khan settled near the ropes and took a fine catch.
Conway started the 15th over with a fine boundary over extra cover off the bowling of Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali too joined the party as he wasted no time and hammered his first ball to the boundary and Conway ended over with a four.
Then Moeen smashed Sam Curran’s slower ball over extra-cover for four before Rahul Chahar got him in the 17th over. But Conway was on his merry ways as he finished the over with two back-to-back boundaries.
In the last over, Curran dismissed Ravindra Jadeja and there was a huge roar as M.S. Dhoni came on to bat. The next ball Conway pulled it without much timing and hit it flat over mid-wicket. Livingstone came racing in from deep mid-wicket and slid in to take the catch but was unsure and the umpires go upstairs to check.
The third umpire checked a lot of replays before concluding that there is no substantial evidence of the fingers being under the ball. Not Out came up on the big screen, it was a single and Dhoni got the strike.
Then, the skipper finished it up in his vintage style with back-to-back sixes on the last two balls of the innings.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 200/4 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 92, Ruturaj Gaikwad 37; Rahul Chahar 1-35, Arshdeep Singh 1-37) against Punjab Kings
–IANS
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