IPL 2022: PBKS won by 11 runs against CSK

Mumbai: Opening batter Shikhar Dhawan struck his second fifty of the season to power Punjab Kings to a 11-run win over Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

The 36-year-old left-handed batter anchored the Punjab innings with a brilliant 88 not out and 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.

Set to chase 188, Chennai’s Ambati Rayudu waged a spirited battle scoring 78 (39b, 7x4, 6x6) but got out to Kagiso Rabada in the 18th over to hand back the initiative to Punjab. This is Punjab’s fourth win in eight matches, while Chennai has slumped to its sixth loss in eight games.

Dhawan hit nine fours and two sixes in his 59-ball superlative unbeaten knock. He went past his earlier highest score this season -- 70 against Mumbai Indians in Pune.

Dhawan got an able ally in Rajapaksa who made 42 from 32 balls with the help of two fours and as many sixes as the duo frustrated the Chennai bowlers for a long stretch in the innings.

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 its captain Agarwal’s struggles this season continued as he was out in the sixth over for 18 off 21 balls. It reached 37 for 1 after powerplay overs. Dhawan and Rajapaksa kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and doubles though without too many boundaries. The duo took Punjab to 72 for 1 at the halfway mark.

The advantage for Punjab was that it lost just one wicket in the first half of its innings and it capitalised on that later in the back-end. It added 64 runs in the final five overs. Rajapaksa was out in the 18th over off Dwayne Bravo (2/42) who also scalped the wicket of Livingstone in the final over.

BRIEF SCORES: Punjab Kings 187/4 in 20 overs (S Dhawan 88*, B Rajapaksa 42) bt Chennai Super Kings 176/6 in 20 overs (A Rayudu 78)