Mumbai: Punjab Kings started slowly off the blocks, looking for stability by not losing wickets, and then went on to build partnerships that took them to 187/4 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Shikhar Dhawan (88 runs from 59 balls) went from foundation to completion of the team's innings that is currently languishing at the bottom half of the table despite having enough firepower to take them past any team.
An innings that witnessed the old shade of Dhawan, his innings had nine fours and two sixes, he went on to complete 6000 runs in the tournament, and 9000 overall in T20s - a testament to his short-format mastery. After Jadeja elected to field, Chennai started off with a fine display of disciplined bowling, and Punjab, where players has been going bang-bang applied a change of stance and looked to build the innings on a pitch that kept slow and low on most parts.
PBKS lost the wicket of skipper Mayank Agarwal (18 from 21 balls) just before the end of the powerplay as he tried slicing the ball and play the cut shot before he he was hold up at backward point by Shivam Dube off M Theekshana. The team had scored 37-1 by then at the end of powerplay.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa found himself luck at the onset of his innings and later too where CSK lost the chance to shake the Punjab team off track. In the first instance, Rajapaksa charged down the crease to go for a biggie but Gaikwad missed a running catch. He had managed to reach the ball but couldn't hold on to it.
This was followed by a 9th over mess-up. Rajapaksa tried going for the maximum again but almost failed to clear the boundary. Santner stationed there missed an easy catch where the ball popped out from his hands. However, later on in the innings, Santner would almost make up for it through brilliant on-ground display particularly in the 18th over where he stopped Rajapaksa's shot that was racing away to the boundary.
With the partnership going between the two, Punjab's 100 runs came in the 12th over where Dhawan was playing at 45 and his partner Rajapaksa had 27 in his account. There was not risk taken and the team was in dire need of acceleration with Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow waiting in the hut. The dressing room must have been anxious as both Dhawan and Rajapaksa kept dealing in ones and twos.
But Dhawan finally took his innings in the fifth gear. The third and fourth ball of the 18th over went for straight bat grounded four while the next delivery was uppishly punched for another four runs by Dhawan. Liam Livingstone joined in smashing a four and then two sixes that finally got Punjab's engine racing off Dwaine Pretorius. Despite Livingstone getting dismissed in the same over, the last two overs went for 35 runs. For CSK, Dwayne Bravo took two wickets while Maheesh Theekshana picked up one.
Brief Scores
PBKS: 187/4, Shikhar Dhawan - 88 runs from 59 balls, Bhanuka Rajapaksa - 42 runs from 32 balls; CSK: Dwayne Bravo - 42-2
