Shikhar Dhawan, the captain of the Punjab Kings team, expressed his happiness with the team’s last-ball victory over Chennai Super Kings in Match 41 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, which took place on April 30, Sunday, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bat first, which was justified by their massive score of 200/4 in the first innings, courtesy of a brilliant unbeaten 92-run knock by Devon Conway. In response, PBKS chased down the huge target on the last ball of the match with contributions from the entire batting unit.
Dhawan credited his team for showing character and bouncing back after the previous game’s 56-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants. He expressed his delight at beating CSK in Chennai, describing it as a significant achievement and giving credit to the team and the support staff for the win.
“It feels very special, beating Chennai in Chennai is a big thing, very happy with the team. It shows great character to bounce back from that loss and coming up with a positive mindset, all credit goes to the team and the support staff,” said the former India opener and Punjab captain.
Dhawan also praised his team’s bowlers for their performance and expressed his happiness with their consistency. He mentioned that although he felt the wicket was dry, it had enough bounce to support their efforts. He particularly appreciated Liam Livingstone’s contribution to the team’s win and expressed his desire to see him play more overs during their chase.
During the match, after the 15th over, PBKS required 82 runs off the last five overs with Livingstone and Sam Curran at the crease. Livingstone played a pivotal role in the 16th over bowled by Tushar Deshpande, scoring three sixes and a four in the first four balls of the over, before finally getting out on the fifth ball after scoring 40 off 24 balls.
The 16th over, where Liam Livingstone scored 24 runs, turned the tide in Punjab’s favor. From that point on, Sam Curran 29 off 20 balls, Jitesh Sharma 21 off 10 balls, and Sikandar Raza 13 not out off 7 played crucial cameos to guide Punjab to their fifth win of the season.
During the last over, PBKS needed nine runs, and it was bowled by Matheesha Pathirana. The Sri Lankan seamer conceded only six runs off the first five balls, including a leg-bye. With three runs required off the final delivery of the match, Raza showed his intelligence and hit the ball to the unguarded area at deep backward square leg. Raza and Shahrukh Khan ran three runs with all their might, securing a thrilling victory for their team. This successful run chase against CSK at Chepauk was the highest in the tournament.