Punjab show who’s the King

Flamboyant opener Shikhar Dhawan struck a magnificent 88 not out to trump Ambati Rayudu in the battle of batting heroics as Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs in an IPL thriller on Monday.

Dhawan hit nine fours and two sixes in his 59-ball superlative unbeaten knock to power Punjab to 187 for 4 after being asked to bat. Punjab then restricted CSK to 176 for 6 despite a stunning 39-ball 78 from Rayudu, studded with seven fours and six sixes.

Dhawan also became only the second batter after Virat Kohli to complete 6,000 runs in IPL history. Rayudu hit three consecutive sixes and a four to take 23 runs from the 16th over bowled by Sandeep Sharma (1/40) after CSK needed 70 runs from the last five overs.

But Arshdeep Singh conceded just six runs in the next over and eight in the 19th to tilt the scale towards Punjab. After Rayudu was out in the 18th over off Kagiso Rabada (2/23), CSK still needed 35 runs from 13 balls and the great finisher Mahendra Singh Dhoni (12) joined captain Ravindra Jadeja (21 not out) in the middle.

CSK needed 27 from the final over and another stage was set for Dhoni to repeat his stupendous finishing act against Mumbai Indians in their previous match.Dhoni hit Rishi Dhawan (2/39) for a six in the first ball but two balls later, the legendary wicketkeeper batter was caught at deep midwicket as it was all over for CSK.

This was CSK’s sixth loss in eight matches while Punjab notched up their fourth win in eight games. CSK began their run chase on a woeful note as they lost Robin Uthappa (1) in the first over, followed by Mitchell Santner (9) in the second, as the defending champions could only score 32 from the powerplay overs.

Shivam Dube showed promise but then his innings lasted just eight balls and seven runs as CSK were reduced to 40 for 3 in seven overs. It was still not an easy proposition for CSK as they needed 70 from the final overs. Earlier, the 36-year-old Dhawan struck his second fifty of the season and anchored the Punjab innings.

He combined with Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa (42) for a 110-run stand for the second wicket from 11.3 overs after captain Mayank Agarwal’s early dismissal. Dhawan went past his earlier highest score this season -- 70 against Mumbai Indians in Pune.

Englishman Liam Livingstone, who was bought for Rs 11.5 crore in the IPL auction, played a little cameo of 19 runs off seven balls with the help of a four and two sixes towards the end to swell the Punjab total.

Punjab made a slow start after being sent in to bat and their captain Agarwal’s struggles this season continued as he was out in the sixth over for 18 off 21 balls. They reached 37 for 1 after powerplay overs.The advantage for Punjab was that they lost just one wicket in the first half of their innings and they capitalised on that later in the back-end. They added 64 runs in the final five overs. 

Brief scores: Punjab Kings: 187 for 4 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 88; CSK bowling: Dwayne Bravo 2/42) beat Chennai Super Kings: 176 for 6 in 20 overs (Ambati Rayudu 78; PBKS bowling: Kagiso Rabada 2/23) by 11 runs.