Former champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made a resounding comeback, as they flew past Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in Match 18 of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL), in Dubai, on Sunday. CSK won the tie by 10 wickets, as they rose to the sixth spot in the table.
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Match report: Winning the toss, KXIP skipper KL Rahul elected to bat first. The decision seemed fine, as the openers, Rahul (63) and Mayank Agarwal (26), contributed 61 runs for the opening wicket. It was followed by a brisk 17-ball 33 by Nicholas Pooran, along with some extra efforts from other batsmen, as they posted a challenging total of 1784.
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In reply, the KXIP bowlers were off to a horror start, as the CSK openers, Shane Watson (83) and Faf du Plessis (87) breezed in the powerplay. As the game progressed, the pair got even lethal, while the KXIP bowlers had no answers to their fine batting. In the end, it was a comfortable and a stellar 10-wicket win by the side, as quite some records were scripted.
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Rahul and Mayank script some as openers: KXIP openers Rahul and Mayank were at it again today, as they contributed to a 61-run opening stand. It was their second-highest opening stand this season, with the best being 183, against Rajasthan Royals (RR). In the process, they also became the best Indian openers in the tournament this season, scoring 356 runs. Also, they are the seventh-best pair in the tournament to date, while the list is led by Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 579 runs in 2012.
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CSK- The death-over specialists: CSK might have had a tough season so far. However, they have been ruthless with the ball in the death overs, this season. In the past four matches, they have claimed the most wickets (11), besides having the best economy (10.05). Furthermore, they have had the best average (18.27) and have also conceded the least number of sixes (6).
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Watson and du Plessis score second-best opening stand: The CSK openers came up with a dream partnership, as they contributed to a rich 181-run opening stand. Consequently, it was the second-best opening stand of the tournament this season, after Mayank and Rahul's 183.
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CSK produce their highest opening stand: KXIP were reduced to rubbles following the mammoth opening stand between the CSK openers. As a result, it also became the highest opening partnership against the side, going past the previous best of 147, between Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), in 2016. Meanwhile, it was also CSK's best opening stand to date, going past 159 of Mike Hussey and Murali Vijay, against RCB, in 2011. It also happened to be the fourth-highest opening stand in the tournament's history.
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Second-best 10-wicket win: The pair also became the second-best among openers to script a 10-wicket win. The record for the same is held by Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn, for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who chased 184 against Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2017. Also, it was CSK's second 10-wicket win after 2013, against KXIP.
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