KL Rahul smashed an unbeaten 98 off 42 balls as Punjab Kings scored 135 runs in 13 overs, but it was all too late. With the win, Punjab Kings propelled Mumbai Indians to fifth position, but they have a lot of permutations and combinations to contend with and need a lot of things to make it to the playoffs, making progress less likely. has been
Kings go short; CSK go slow
Mohammed Shami's fifth ball went into Ruturaj Gaikwad's gloves and he was shocked. Arshdeep Singh then hit Gaikwad's left shoulder with a similar sharp lifter and pulled 12 off 14 balls towards midwicket. Moeen Ali also struggled with the short stuff: after Shami pushed him back, Arshdeep swung away from the left-hander to dismiss him in the last over of the powerplay.
By the time Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu were also bested with short balls, the Super Kings were 42 for 4 in the ninth over. MS Dhoni threatens to break free when Ravi Bishnoi's legbreak is crunched over the cover boundary, but the spinner hits Dhoni back to get the wrongful dismissal.
Fabulous Faf
Kings XI's attack also restricted Ravindra Jadeja to 15 off 17 balls, but Faf du Plessis got on top of him in the slog overs. After scoring 50 off 46 balls, du Plessis looked expendable but quickly jumped into top gear, hitting three fours and two sixes in his next eight balls. Du Plessis also lined up Shami, who looked unstoppable in the powerplay, before the pitch once again turned sharp and the batsman smashed a 55-ball 76.
Rahul on the roll
The Super Kings had scored 52 runs in their last five overs to bowl their attack, but Punjab Kings made almost (51) runs in the powerplay itself to regain control. With Punjab Kings needing a big win (and other results needed), Rahul went on a boundary-hitting spree right from the start - just like he used to back in the day. He was particularly brutal on Deepak Chahar, taking him to 34 off just 12 balls. Josh Hazlewood hit Rahul on the helmet, he nodded briefly, but the Kings captain overcame the blow and took him to the cleaners in the powerplay.
Rahul completed his half-century in 25 balls, and eventually finished the chase with a six, his eighth overall on Thursday, handing the Super Kings their third consecutive defeat.