Dubai: Finally old turned gold for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as they beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in an IPL-13 game here Sunday. It was an important win for CSK as they had lost three of their four matches on the trot and had slipped to the last position in the points table. However, at the crunch CSK were the better side as they romped home by wickets.
Shane Watson (83 n o, 53b, 11×4, 3×6) finally found some form with the bat and along with Faf du Plessis (87 n o, 53b, 11×4, 1×6) put on a terrific unbroken opening stand of 181 runs for CSK to take them home. It was probably the moment MS Dhoni’s team were waiting for. Everyone is aware of Watson’s brute power at the top of the order. It was missing and so was CSK’s fortune. The moment Watson found form CSK looked a different side altogether.
It was Du Plessis however, who started the carnage by hammering Chris Jordan for 19 runs in the sixth over of the innings. Then Watson started going down the ground with his monstrous hits and there was no stopping CSK.
Earlier, KXIP decided to bat after winning the toss. KXIP skipper KL Rahul thought that the wicket may lose pace as the match progresses and it would be difficult to bat second. However nothing of the sort happened and CSK enjoyed chasing down the target.
Rahul (63, 52b, 7×4, 1×6) and his in-form opening partner Mayank Agarwal (26) put on an opening stand of 61 runs in a little over six overs. Agarwal was the first to go as Piyush Chawla deceived him with a top-spinner. The batsman was hurried into the shot and he holed out at deep mid-wicket.
Mandeep Singh (27) and Nicholas Pooran (33, 17b, 1×4, 3×6) got starts, but failed to build on those. KXIP needed one big partnership to take the game away from CSK, but that never materialised. And then Dhoni took a brilliant catch flinging himself to his right to send back Rahul off Shardul Thakur (2/39). The dismissal quashed whatever hopes KXIP had of putting up a 200-plus total. A ball earlier Thakur had dismissed the dangerous-looking Pooran with Ravindra Jadeja taking a fine catch on the boundary.
And then finally came the Watson assault. It simply pulverized KXIP.
Brief scores: KXIP 178 for 4 (KL Rahul 63, Shardul Thakur 2/39) lost to CSK 181 for no loss in 17.4 overs (Faf du Plessis 87 n o, Shane Watson 83 n o) by 10 wickets.
