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Kings XI Punjab handed Chennai Super Kings their first defeat of the season, with Chris Gayle turning the spotlight on with an exuberant 22-ball fifty in first-ever game for Punjab, and incidentally his first this IPL season. But it was MS Dhoni who stole the thunder, fighting through back pain to bludgeon 79 off 44 balls that took CSK close but fell 4 runs short of parrying them over the line.
How did it get so close?
Things took a dramatic turn after the second time-out, with 64 needed off the last four overs. Dhoni, on 32 off 26 balls then, was in the middle of a severe struggle with his back spasms, and nobody really gave him a chance. Mohit Sharma conceded 19 runs in the eighteenth over to set the tone but it was Andrew Tye's last over - the penultimate of the innings - that set the buzzers ringing. 19 runs were taken off him, with Dhoni carting Tye for a four and two sixes to more than make up for Ravindra Jadeja's dismissal.
17 runs were needed off the last over, Mohit Sharma had the ball, and CSK were nearing another heist; and Dhoni's form and his familiarity to Mohit's slower-ball variations made a strong case for it. But Mohit started the over really well, nailing the full-and-wide yorker right for about five times in the over to deny CSK a third win on the trot.
Where did CSK lose the game?
Mostly in the powerplay, as is the case for most T20 games of late. To be fair, it was always going to be difficult to match KXIP's powerplay - KL Rahul and Gayle were going bonkers then, piling on 75 for nought in six overs - but Chennai, having scored 53, fell further behind when they lost both their openers. Both Murali Vijay and Shane Watson fell to slower deliveries, having been baited into playing their shots on a good pitch.
As a result, KXIP always had a head start in defending the target and Dhoni's blitzkrieg could only do so much.
So, Gayle's return was __
Box-office.
It was quite a throwback to the good ol' days, except that MS Dhoni had a different offspinner trying to rein in Gayle at the top and that Ravichandran Ashwin was captaining the side with Gayle in it. Harbhajan Singh was instead thrusted into Ashwin's role of the yore, but it hardly panned out the same. Gayle and Rahul laid into Harbhajan, picking 24 runs off his two overs and getting KXIP off the blocks in a hurry.
Should KXIP have gotten more?
Definitely. And that despite Rahul, who's hit this IPL in red-hot form, falling prey to Harbhajan on 22-ball 37 in the eighth over. It all changed with Gayle's wicket in the twelfth over. At 120 for 1 in 11 overs, Kings XI Punjab were set up for a score well over 200 when Shane Watson elicited a top-edge out of Gayle and upended the momentum of the innings.
What followed was a familiar sight: Imran Tahir returning to redeem his 17-run first over in style. He didn't just concede as many in his next three but also picked the wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Aaron Finch -- the latter for his second consecutive first-ball duck -- to finish with figures of 2 for 34.
Punjab's lack of a bona-fide pinch-hitter was obvious; and as much as Karun Nair tried, Punjab just managed an underwhelming 48 runs in the last 6 overs.
What did Ashwin do different as a captain?
Rewind to the first two games and Ashwin threatened an invasion by spin to start with. He bowled four overs of spin against Delhi Daredevils and five against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the powerplay, but come this game, when he had the luxury of defending a bigger target, Ashwin had the pacers bowl five out of six overs. And it was a tactic that paid off, with Watson and Vijay falling to Mohit Sharma and Andrew Tye respectively.
Ashwin brought himself on immediately after the powerplay and accounted for the all-important of Sam Billings.
What did Chennai miss?
A timely detonation of Dhoni, you can say. He did waft a few big hits towards the end but CSK, even with Bravo at the other end, were left with too much to do.
Sam Billings' failure laid bare the gaping hole left behind by Suresh Raina's injury and Ambati Rayudu's run-out, punctually effected by Ashwin in the fourteenth over, ended the only innings that held together the middle overs.
Where next for the teams?
Both teams hit a few days of rest after today's match. KXIP host Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on Thursday (April 19) while CSK host Rajasthan Royals at their new home ground, Pune, on Friday (April 20).
(CRICBUZZ)
