IPL 2019: Key takeaways as CSK edge out KXIP at Chepauk
Chennai Super Kings recovered well from their defeat against the Mumbai Indians by putting out a disciplined all-round performance against the Kings XI Punjab to get back on winning track. Chennai made full use of the conditions at the M. Chidambaram Stadium which they are so well-versed with to etch out a victory, which puts them in a good position to qualify for the playoffs. Though Punjab ended up losing the contest, they will still have a few positives to take away from the match.
Here we look at the key takeaways from the match:
Faf du Plessis provides quality at the top for CSK
Faf du Plessis found himself out of the lineup at the start of the tournament for the outfit from Chennai. This was nothing to do with his quality, but simply due to the restrictions of playing only four foreigners. Once back in the side, he has made an immediate impact, scoring a classy half-century. His start at the top allowed Chennai to post a score of 160 on the board, which would always prove to be competitive on a slow Chennai wicket. With Bravo out due to an injury, Faf should now get an extended run in the line-up and his experience at the top along with Shane Watson will be key for the Men in Yellow.
Punjab struggle in the death overs – bowling and batting
The prime reason for Punjab’s defeat could be traced back to their poor performances in the death overs, both with the bat and the ball. With the ball, they conceded 33 runs in the final two overs. This propelled Chennai’s score over the 150-run mark. Had they managed to restrict Chennai below 150, it would have given them a big psychological boost and they could have planned for the chase better. Again, with the bat in hand, the KXIP batsmen were poor in their performances, as they simply did not show enough intent with the bat and time their chase well enough despite having two settled batsmen in the form of Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul. 160 was not a huge score to chase down by any means and had they shown more aggression in the final overs; the result of the match could have been completely different.
