Punjab Kings practically secured their victory in the first innings itself, posting a formidable total of 219/6 in 20 overs, powered by an exhilarating 39-ball century from Priyansh Arya. Given that Chennai Super Kings have not successfully chased down a 175-plus target since 2021 and still clearly lack the firepower to achieve such a feat, it seemed like an uphill task for the visitors.
However, they kept the game alive with a blazing 61-run opening stand between the all-Kiwi duo of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, followed by a crucial third-wicket partnership between Conway and Shivam Dube.
Despite their efforts, the required run rate kept climbing, and the pressure created multiple opportunities for Punjab to finish the game, though it wasn’t to be.
With a mammoth 111 needed from the final nine overs, the Conway-Dube duo targeted Marco Jansen as the key bowler to attack if they were to bring the game to the wire. However, their first attempt to do so saw Conway’s shot fly low towards Yuzvendra Chahal at short fine leg, only for the spinner to completely misjudge the catch while diving forward.
The Yellow Army, ever generous, gave the visitors another chance when Conway timidly uppercut one straight to Yash Thakur at deep third man. Yet, even the crouching pacer couldn’t hold onto it, letting the ball drop harmlessly to the ground. Jansen, frustrated after Chahal’s blunder, couldn’t help but smile at the situation before returning to his mark. Little did he know, more was yet to come.
Dube then struck the third ball along the ground towards Shreyas Iyer at mid-off, a simple catch that should have been collected without any issue. But Iyer let the ball slip inexplicably through his legs, costing his team another run. Jansen’s grin grew wider, and his captain shared in the amusement.
— david Miller (@MillerDavi20894) April 8, 2025
Another setback followed when Lockie Ferguson dropped a sitter, handing Shivam Dube yet another life and keeping the entertainment rolling for Twitterati.