Chennai: Punjab Kings secured a convincing seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League encounter held here on Wednesday, largely propelled by a substantial 64-run partnership forged by Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw for the second wicket.
Bairstow demonstrated his prowess with a brisk 30-ball 46, ably supported by Rossouw who contributed 43 runs off 23 deliveries. Their partnership laid a solid foundation for Punjab Kings. Subsequently, Shashank Singh (25 not out) and Sam Curran (26 not out) consolidated the innings with an unbroken 50-run alliance, steering the team past CSK’s total of 162/7 with 13 balls to spare.
In the initial innings, Ruturaj Gaikwad stood out as the sole CSK batsman to showcase resilience, crafting a composed 48-ball 62. However, the effective spin bowling duo of Harpreet Brar (2/17) and Rahul Chahar (2/16) from Punjab Kings restricted the five-time champions to a below-par total.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings: 162 for 7 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 29, Ruturaj Gaikwad 62, Sameer Rizvi 21; Harpreet Brar 2/17, Rahul Chahar 2/16).
Punjab Kings: 163 for 3 in 17.5 overs (Jonny Bairstow 46, Rilee Rossouw 43, Shashank Singh 25 not out, Sam Curran 26 not out).
