Super Kings oust Kings XI, Royals enter playoffs
PUNE: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) toyed with their batting order on way to a five-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), knocking their opponents out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs’ race that saw Rajasthan Royals (RR) qualify as the fourth and final team.
Signing off with a commanding win orchestrated by Lungi Ngidi’s 4/10, Suresh Raina’s 61 not out and Deepak Chahar’s quickfire 39 at their adopted home, CSK also recorded their fifth win out of six matches here at the MCA Stadium.
After restricting KXIP to 153 in 19.4 overs, Chennai won the final league match of IPL 2018 with five balls to spare —MS Dhoni scoring the winning run with a six.
Chahar went after Ravichandran Ashwin to pick 15 runs off the 16th over in Chennai’s chase, hitting two sixes and a four to end a lull for Chennai who had surprisingly played 38 balls without a boundary.
Chahar’s quickfire knock was even more special considering he was sent ahead of MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja, at a time when CSK needed 96 off the final 10 overs.
Chennai had got off to a shaky start with KXIP bowlers finding enough life in the Pune wicket.
The leading run-maker Ambati Rayudu was the first to go, caught behind off Mohit Sharma for one. Soon CSK were reduced to 27/3 in 4.4 overs.
Earlier, Lungi Ngidi produced figures of 4-1-10-4 to help Chennai dismiss Kings XI for 153 in 19.4 overs. None of the big guns in Punjab’s ranks — Rahul (7), Gayle (0), Finch (4) could provide their side the start they desired.
Manoj Tiwary (35) and David Miller (24) added 60 for the fourth wicket — the best stand after CSK won the toss and asked Punjab to bat. But they fell in quick succession, putting the pressure further on the batsmen to follow.