Following his side’s 28-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Sam Curran said that the pitch turned out to be slower, rather than a quick, bouncy surface that they expected. Fiery spells from Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande and Simarjeet Singh triggered a massive batting collapse and helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 28 runs at Dharamsala on Sunday. “I thought we bowled really well as a group. Rahul Chahar bowled really well, and the way Harshal Patel finished off. We were happy as a group at the halfway stage but unfortunately, it was not meant to be. We thought it (the pitch) was going to be slightly quicker, and have more bounce,” said Curran during the post-match presentation.
“It was a bit slower but it was similar throughout the game. We have a couple of days off and then we play against RCB. We have to move on and keep fighting hard,” he added.
Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to field first. CSK lost their wickets at regular intervals. It was knocks from Ravindra Jadeja (43 in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes), Ruturaj Gaikwad (32 in 21 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Daryl Mitchell (30 in 19 balls, with two fours and a six) that took CSK to a respectable 167/9 in their 20 overs.
Rahul Chahar (3/23) and Harshal Patel (3/24) were the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. Arshdeep Singh got two wickets while Sam Curran got a wicket too.
In the run-chase, PBKS lost two wickets early, with Tushar Deshpande (2/35) striking for Men in Yellow, but Prabhsimran Singh (30 in 23 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Shashank Singh (27 in 20 balls, with four boundaries) helped them recover with a 53-run partnership. However, Ravindra Jadeja (3/20), Mitchell Santner (1/10) and Simarjeet Singh (2/16) helped CSK make a stunning comeback and restrict Punjab to 139/9 in their 20 overs.
Jadeja received the ‘Player of the Match’ performance for his three wickets and a knock of 43.
CSK has gone up to third place in the points table with six wins and five losses, giving them 12 points. PBKS is in the eighth spot with four wins, seven losses and just eight points.
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