Jadeja stars with bat and ball as CSK climb to third
PBKS had dominated proceedings right from the toss, but their batters tumbled from 62 for 2 to 78 for 7 in the 168 chase
PBKS had dominated proceedings right from the toss, but their batters tumbled from 62 for 2 to 78 for 7 in the 168 chase
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar
7:30pm That will be all from us for this game. The IPL action does not stop, with the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Lucknow Super Giants going at it in Lucknow. Join Sreshth for all the action from what promises to be a thriller. Until next time, from me (Shashwat), Ranjith and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo, this is goodbye. Take care, folks!
Ravindra Jadeja, Player of the Match: (On the pitch) It was a day game, so the wicket was slow. As usual, it was expected because it was so hot. (On the batting innings) We had a good powerplay but did not get partnerships in the middle overs. I was trying to build a good partnership to then tee off at the end. (On their bowling performance) The fast bowlers bowled well in the powerplay. Tushar got two important wickets and then Mitch and me did the job in the middle overs. It (the pitch) always seems flat in the powerplay. But when the ball gets old, the ball does not always come on. When playing at a new venue, you don't know how much it will turn or stop. We thought we were 15-20 runs short but we did not bowl loose balls in the powerplay and the middle overs. My role as a batter is to build partnerships and then play the big shots towards the end. Sometimes, when we lose wickets in the powerplay, we do not get momentum. In the matches we win, we play all phases well.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings captain: (On losing the toss again) After you win the game, everyone says good you lost the toss but it does matter to me (smiles). Everyone believed that the wicket was slow and that it was coming off slow. There was low bounce too. Just the start we got, we could have pushed to 180-200. We lost wickets in consecutive balls and then felt 160-170 was probably ten odd runs short. But the way it played in the second innings, it was par. (On Simarjeet's pace) I don't know what he is doing but in the pre-season we had, he was bowling at around 150s. We had Deepak, Shardul, Tushar plus Pathirana and Fizz, so he did not get too many changes. Nothing is late, he got a game today. We were thinking of sending an impact batter but we thought the impact batter would score 10-15 runs but the bowler might get us 2-3 wickets. (On the win) A sigh of relief with the injuries we had. Not even sure about who was going to play on the morning of the match, so really happy with that (the win).
Sam Curran, Punjab Kings captain: 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 half-way stage but unfortunately, it was not meant to be. We thought it (the pitch) was going to be slightly quicker, have more bounce. 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.
Tushar Deshpande: Very happy today because it was a low-scoring game. This was the game we wanted to win badly. (On how he felt coming back from illness) I tried my best to play the last game but couldn't. It was in my mind that I wanted to give my best. It was a crunch game. At high altitude, the ball does something and my job was to take wickets. (On the pitch) It was a bit slow if we bowled into the pitch. We knew if we hit those lengths, it was tough to play horizontal shots.
7:06pm A clinical performance with the ball, and 167, which did not seem many at the half-way mark, was plenty in the end. Credit for that has to go to CSK's new-ball pairing of Deshpande and Santner. The latter kept things tight, while the former got the ball to jag around, picking up Bairstow and Rossouw in the same over.
Jadeja then spun a yarn in the middle overs, bagging three wickets, with Simarjeet blasting batters out at the other end. The pair combined for five wickets and those scalps firmly derailed the Punjab Kings' run-chase.
Speaking of Punjab, they will not want to see this batting display a lot of times. The intent to counter-attack after two early wickets was refreshing but that soon reached alarming and needless proportions, especially in the middle overs. Prabhsimran was their top scorer and while he was at the crease alongside Shashank, the Kings seemed in control. Once that partnership was broken, though, things fell apart.
Last ball coming up
Five legal balls, and CSK are home
36 needed off 6. Still mathematically possible. Brar on strike. Shardul to bowl
PBKS had dominated proceedings right from the toss, but their batters tumbled from 62 for 2 to 78 for 7 in the 168 chase
CSK have won five of the seven matches in which the allrounder has bowled his allotment of overs
"The way the wicket played in the second innings, definitely I'd say [167 was a] par score," says Ruturaj Gaikwad
CSK are also waiting on the status of Deepak Chahar, who suffered an injury against Punjab Kings in Chennai
They have secured five wins on the trot against Chennai Super Kings and will be very keen to better that as the IPL moves to Dharamsala for the first time this season