Chennai Super Kings (162/7) are starting to slump down the IPL points table after suffering a 8-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings (163/3) in their latest fixture – their third loss in the last four games.
With the toss won, Punjab Kings asked the hosts to come up with a total. Chennai switched their strategy as Ruturaj Gaikwad (62/48) and Ajinkya Rahane (29/24) opened the innings and made a steady start. CSK looked good to score a big total until Punjab’s spinners came as a big roadblock. The duo of Harpreet Brar (2/16) and Rahul Chahar (2/17) sparked a middle-order collapse that ended Chennai’s hopes. On a slow track, Ruturaj’s knock deserves special mention as it helped Chennai reach 162 runs.
Chennai got off to an unlucky start after Deepak Chahar suffered an injury. Punjab lost Prabhsimran Singh (13/10) early. But Jonny Bairstow (46/30) and Rilee Rossouw (43/23) put up 64 runs off 37 balls partnership to keep things easy. In the end, Shashank Singh (25/26) & Sam Curran (26/20) completed the chase and defeated Chennai for the fifth consecutive time. 
Key Moments That Defined the Match
Middle overs twinning by Punjab spinners
Having made an impeccable start, Chennai Super Kings looked in absolute control. They were cruising with 64 runs at the stroke of 8.1 overs, but Brar and Chahar took action. Brar dismissed Rahane first, followed by Shivam Dube. As Chennai looked to reconstruct the innings, Chahar got better off Jadeja to dismantle the middle order, leaving Chennai short by 20-30 runs.
Rabada’s versatile spell
For Punjab Kings, Kagiso Rabada has been a shining light in the IPL this season. Rabada has been their go-to man in tough situations and has delivered most of the time. The same thing happened in this game as Rabada used his full experience to overpower Chennai. He bowled in short spells in all stages of the match to finish with 23 runs for one wicket. The wicket he took of Rizvi helped to put Chennai on the back foot after some resilience.
Rahul Chahar’s brave bowling
In the 19th over of a cricket match against two of the hardest hitters, Moeen Ali and MS Dhoni, everyone would expect the bowler to have a hard time. But Rahul Chahar had the opposite experience. With his variations, Chahar took the wicket of Moeen Ali, making his over the biggest highlight and the reason Punjab won. He only conceded 3 runs in his over.
Baristow and Rossouw’s Counterattack
Many people predicted that Punjab would be trapped by Chennai’s spin game when they came to chase, but Baristow and Rossouw had another plan. Both batters played their normal game despite losing a wicket early on and putting pressure back on Chennai. They added 64 runs at a cruising pace for the second wicket, giving Punjab a big lead.
Curran’s Blitz Innings
For the most part, Punjab was leading the chase, but when they lost Rossouw in the 12th over, they looked in danger of fading away. Although the equation was easy, spinners could’ve changed the game if Curran hadn’t put pressure back on. With 13 balls to spare, Sam Curran helped Punjab complete the chase.
Chennai have now entered the danger zone. They looked like they had it all at the beginning of the tournament, but now they are losing ground. They are currently fourth in the table with five wins and five losses. With Parimatch Odds of 1.70x favoring CSK, they will travel to Dharamshala to play Punjab. Punjab has climbed to the eighth spot with six losses and four wins. Odds for them are 2.15 in their next match.
