Punjab Kings (PBKS) displayed a clinical performance on Wednesday (May 1) to become only the second team in the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at their fortress in Chepauk after Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Electing to field first, Punjab were disciplined with the ball in hand and restricted the hosts to just 162 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.
Chasing an average total, Punjab lost Prabhsimran Singh early, however, the other batters didn’t lose sight of the target and helped the visitors reach there with 11 balls to spare.
The win helped Punjab beat Chennai in five consecutive IPl games and they became only the second team in the history of the tournament to achieve the feat after Mumbai Indians.
Punjab’s five-match unbeaten streak against CSK started on October 7, 2021, when they defeated Chennai in the 53rd game of that season by six wickets and seven overs to spare.
Their second win of the streak came on April 3, 2022, as they restricted CSK to 126, in pursuit of 181 and won the clash by 54 runs.
The third victory also came in the 2022 season when the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab beat Chennai by 11 runs in Mumbai.
PBKS won their fourth consecutive game against CSK on April 30 in the latter’s den as they successfully chased down 201 to win a last-ball thriller.
Now, the two teams will meet once again on May 5 (Sunday) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala in a battle of the bragging rights. The fixture in Dharamsala will be the first of the ongoing season at the venue and hence the two teams can expect a fresh wicket for the encounter.
Punjab are still in contention for the playoffs whereas Chennai are fourth on the table with five wins and as many losses in 10 games.
