IPL 2023: Sikandar Raza’s last ball heroics helps Punjab Kings prevail over CSK for 4-wicket win

Chennai: After Prabhsimran Singh’s 42 off 24, and Liam Livingstone’s 40 off 24, Sikandar Raza stole the show by taking three runs off the final delivery to take Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a four-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023 match here at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

Devon Conway’s sublime innings of unbeaten 92 off 52, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 37 off 31 and M.S. Dhoni’s consecutive sixes off the last two balls CSK posted 200/4 after opting to bat first.

In reply, PBKS started in fine fashion with skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran going after the pacers and the pair added on 50 runs before Dhawan got out and King posted 62/1 at the end of the Power-play.

Punjab then lost a couple of wickets in quick succession before Liam Livingstone teed off. Afterwards, Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma took the game deep before Sikandar Raza somehow managed to get the win off the final delivery, that too without hitting a boundary in the final over.

Chasing a 201-run target, Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh got PBKS off to a flier before Tushar Deshpande struck in the fourth over to get rid of the skipper for 28.

When Prabhsimran was looking dangerous with his calculated hits and was close to his fifty, Ravindra Jadeja removed the set batter in the ninth over. Prabhsimran stepped out to go big but missed as the ball turned away and landed in Dhoni’s gloves, who cheekily waited for a moment before flicking the bails off.

An over later, Jadeja picked up his second wicket, removing Atharva Taide. The latter stepped down the track and looked to flat-bat it back past the bowler but mistimed the shot and ended up hitting it right back at Jadeja, who took it around his chest.

With 13 runs per over needed to win, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran held the fort and kept the scoreboard ticking to keep Punjab in the game. In the 16th over, Livingstone hammered Deshpande for two consecutive sixes, followed by a boundary and another maximum but the bowler was quick to bounce back as he removed Livingstone on the last ball of the over.

Then, Jitesh Sharma and Curran went for a six apiece and collected 17 runs in the over and bringing the equation to 31 off 18. But Matheesha Pathirana had other plans as he struck on the first ball of the 18th over to dismiss Curran, who looked to back away and drive but was beaten by the pace as the ball crashed into the stumps.

With 22 needed off 12 balls, Jitesh started the over with a boundary and followed that up with a double. A wide ball later, Deshpande deceived him with a slower ball.

Sharma tried to slog it away but found the toe end of the bat and skied it really high toward long on. The substitute fielder, Shaik Rasheed ran back and settled under it well to grab it. Unfortunately, Rasheed slipped and his foot seemed to have just brushed the boundary cushion. The third umpire checked it thoroughly and found out that the foot didn’t touch the rope and the batter headed back to the pavilion.

With PBKS needing 9 runs off the final over, six came off the first five balls and Sikander Raza pulled it over backwards square leg and collected crucial three runs off the last ball to ensure victory for his side.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 200/4 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 92, Ruturaj Gaikwad 37; Rahul Chahar 1-35, Arshdeep Singh 1-37) lost to Punjab Kings 201/6 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 42, Livingstone 40; Tushar Deshpande 3-49, Ravindra Jadeja 2-32) by four wickets.