It was a quick seven-wicket win for Punjab Kings over Chennai Super Kings, as the former remains in contention for IPL 2021 playoffs. Meanwhile, KL Rahul anchored the win as he broke scripted a few records.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) produced a splendid performance to outplay former champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by seven wickets in Match 53 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium, thanks to KL Rahul's unbeaten 98. As a result, CSK is out of the race for a top-spot finish, while Rahul attained some outstanding records.
Most runs for PBKS
Rahul has become the highest run-scorer for PBKs in the IPL, scoring over 2,500 runs. He gets past Shaun Marsh (2,477).
Scores 25-ball half-century
Rahul scored a 25-ball half-century, as it was the fifth time he had done so in 25 balls or lesser in his IPL career. He is joint second Indian to do so, along with MS Dhoni and Robin Uthappa, while the list is led by Virender Sehwag (6).
Unbeaten while chasing
Rahul (98*) became the second IPL captain to score the most while chasing and remain unbeaten. Above him is Virat Kohli (108*) against Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in 2016.
ALSO READ: IPL 2021, CSK vs PBKS: KL Rahul's Punjab wins by 7 wickets, halts Chennai's bid for top spot
Match summary
Winning the toss, CSK managed to score a below-par total of 134/6, with Faf du Plessis (76) being the top scorer. In reply, Rahul's unbeaten 98 was enough to see PBKS through, with 48 balls to spare.
Brief scores: CSK 134/6 (Du Plessis- 76; Jordan- 2/20) lost to PBKS 139/4 in 13 overs (Rahul- 98; Thakur- 3/28) by seven wickets.