Match Review

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Mayank Agarwal played one of his best innings so far in this IPL SRL contest, with significant help from Maxwell, but Punjab still required a challenging 74-run off the final five overs. However, what turned the pressure on the Chennai completely was the 16th over, bowled by Bravo, wherein 21 runs were conceded and Maxwell also reached his fifty. Post that, there was no looking back for Punjab.

Highs and Lows 

While Chennai’s gigantic innings was attributed to the exceptional contributions by both the openers, Punjab lost both KL Rahul (9 off 13) and Gayle (7 off 7) in the Powerplay itself. Despite a good 12-run third over, bowled by Deepak Chahar, the two-wicket over by Thakur left Punjab on 21/2 at 3.4 overs. The Punjab openers lacked intent in the gigantic 212-run chase and that, according to me, was one low point in the game. 

Rating Charts

As Chennai batted first, the opening partnership between Faf and Watson started off smooth and untouched in the initial overs bowled by Mujeeb and Cotrell. Runs kept flowing in without any hiccups and while the former South Africa skipper took to charging right from the start, it helped Watson settle down in the meantime. The Aussie veteran caught up with his opening partner very soon and seemed to form a strong partnership and it was highlighted in the fifth over by Mohammad Shami, which went for 15 runs. At the end of the Powerplay, CSK were on 59 for no loss with Watson on 28 off 19 and Faf on 29 off 18. 

On the other hand, chasing a target of 212, KL Rahul was seen facing one of his rare bad days even as Gayle tried to make up for his partner. After Rahul was dismissed, in the bittersweet 13-run fourth over, Gayle, too, fell victim to Shardul Thakur and that added untimely pressure on Punjab in the gigantic chase. But the new budding partnership between Agarwal and Maxwell, that squeezed out 15 runs off Tahir in the fifth over, was but a relief for KXIP who slightly recovered to be on 46/2 at the end of the Powerplay. 

The stage was set for a big opening partnership between the two veteran batsmen. Both partners looked equally strong at the start of the middle overs and they continued to charge against the Punjab spinners as they did against in the pacers in the first six overs. The opening partnership was still unbeaten when the team total touched the three figures, in the 10th over. It was in the 11th over, bowled by Krishnappa Gowtham, that Punjab finally found their first breakthrough as Watson was dismissed after a brilliant 57 off 34. Following that, du Plessis(58 off 39) fell in the 14th over leaving Suresh Raina, who picked up right from where Watson left, to take the charge. The 4-run 14th over, bowled by Ravi Bishnoi, was in fact the only good over for Punjab thus far in the game. After a 6-run 15th over by Mohammad Shami, with Raina and Rayudu in the middle, Chennai were on 140/2 ahead of the death overs. 

After a not so extraordinary performance in the Powerplay, Punjab’s batting was in full flow right from the start of the middle overs with Maxwell and Agarwal living up to the promise they showcased in the latter part of the Powerplay. Agarwal smashed four sixes on his way to a half century, firing against the Chennai spinners, taking the score to 90/2 at the end of the 10th over. The pressure was slowing building on Chennai as the bowlers weren’t able to restrict Agarwal’s fire. Following a 13-run over off Tahir, the 117-run unbeaten partnership between Agarwal and Maxwell took Punjab to 138/2 after 15 overs. 

The Chennai batsmen made the pitch look like a batting paradise for what they did, especially Watson and Faf, in the first 15 overs. The stage was set for a big total, wth 140/2 at the end of 15 overs and that paid off as 10 runs were scored off Gowtham in the 16th over, which was succeeded by a couple of good overs by Bishnoi and Shami. So as Chennai recovered from du Plessis’ wicket, they bounced back in full form in the 14-run over by Shami followed by a 12-run over by Cottrell with Rayudu swinging his bat with full energy. Raina took over in the penultimate over, bowled by Mujeeb, and squeezed 16 runs off just four balls before losing his wicket. Mujeeb bagged two off two removing Raina and Dhoni(for a duck) but that didn’t stop Rayudu, who smashed sixes and fours in the 18-run 20th over as well, taking the total to a gigantic 211/5.

With 138/2 on board at the end of the 15th over, Punjab still required 74 runs off the final five overs. Chennai spinners conceded 92 runs, without managing a single wicket, in the middle overs. Agarwal was already at the top of his game and then Maxwell joined him in the front seat during the death overs leaving the Chennai bowling attack absolutely clueless. Bravo was absolutely plastered in the 16th over with 21 runs coming off it and it was followed by another gigantic 22-run over, by Tahir, but it turned out to be bittersweet for Punjab as Agarwal was dismissed in his nineties. But his job was already done as only 37 runs were required off the remaining 22 balls. Fair to say, a fine finish from Maxwell and a late cameo by Pooran finished what Agarwal started, taking Punjab to a seven-wicket victory.

The high-scoring encounter between Chennai and Punjab was one of the most exciting contests in this round of the IPL SRL competition. Mayank Agarwal and Maxwell’s heroics for Punjab, while chasing 212, was what made the contest and the game a memorable one.