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Pune, April 25
Opener Shikhar Dhawan struck a magnificent 88 not out to trump Ambati Rayudu in the battle of batting heroics as Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs in an IPL thriller here today.
Dhawan hit nine fours and two sixes in his 59-ball knock to power Punjab to 187/4 after being asked to bat. Punjab then restricted CSK to 176 /6 despite a stunning 39-ball 78 from Rayudu, studded with seven fours and six sixes.
Dhawan also became only the second batter after Virat Kohli to complete 6,000 runs in IPL history.
Rayudu hit three consecutive sixes and a four to take 23 runs from the 16th over bowled by Sandeep Sharma (1/40) after CSK needed 70 runs from the last five overs.
But Arshdeep Singh conceded just six runs in the next over and eight in the 19th to tilt the scale towards Punjab.
After Rayudu was out in the 18th over off Kagiso Rabada (2/23), CSK still needed 35 runs from 13 balls and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (12) joined captain Ravindra Jadeja (21 not out) in the middle.
CSK needed 27 from the final over and the stage was set for Dhoni to repeat his stupendous finishing act against Mumbai Indians in their previous match.
Dhoni hit Rishi Dhawan (2/39) for a six off the first ball but two balls later, but was caught at deep midwicket two balls later.
This was CSK’s sixth loss in eight matches while Punjab notched up their fourth win in eight games.
Brief scores: Punjab Kings: 187/4 (S Dhawan 88, Rajapaksa 42; Bravo 2/42); Chennai Super Kings: 176/6 (Rayudu 78, Gaikwad 30; Rabada 2/23, R Dhawan 2/39). — PTI
Buttler challenge for Bangalore
Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bangalore will be aiming to halt the Jos Buttler juggernaut when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the IPL here tomorrow. Also in the spotlight will be Virat Kohli following his second consecutive first-ball duck in the competition. Bangalore would hope their star batter would be back among the runs. They would be looking for a much-improved performance by the batting unit after a shocker in the previous game. While Bangalore come into the match on the back of a demoralising nine-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan have had two successive wins and are one of the in-form teams this season. With Kohli cornered, power-hitters Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed have to support him against the Rajasthan attack. Du Plessis has blown hot and cold and as for Karthik, his hitting abilities have allowed him to play the finisher’s role to near perfection. PTI
No bio-bubble for India’s home series against South Africa?
New Delhi: The BCCI in all likelihood will do away with bio-bubbles from the five-match T20 series against South Africa, keeping in mind the mental well-being of cricketers. The T20 series will be played across five venues — Delhi, Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Bengaluru — between June 9 and 19.
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